


Joe Teague/Reader Imagines

by FFanon



Category: Mob City
Genre: Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Light Angst, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-11
Updated: 2018-04-12
Packaged: 2018-08-30 10:59:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 28
Words: 47,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8530429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FFanon/pseuds/FFanon
Summary: Got tired of not finding any Joe Teague/Reader fics anywhere, so decided to create my own.





	1. Blushing Bride

You’re sitting at the bar at Bunny’s Jungle Club, laughing with Anya the bartender, when you feel a man sidle up to you. Anya gives him a glance before walking away to serve another customer.

“Buy you another drink?” 

You’re almost done with your whiskey, but you won’t give this guy the satisfaction. 

“I’m sure my husband will when he gets here.” 

With that, the man chuckles, “How many times have you had to use that line?” 

“You really want to know?” You finally turn on your stool to face him, your eyebrow slightly raised in question. 

The man pulls out a pack from inside his jacket and taps it on the top of the bar, drawing out a single cigarette, “You tell me.” 

You watch as he brings the pack to his lips and pulls out the lone cigarette. He then dips his hand into his pants pocket and pulls out a zippo lighter, just as he brings the lighter to his cigarette, you reach out pulling it from between his lips. Holding it away from him, you watch as a smirk plays at his lips. 

“More times than I can remember.” You tease with a matching smirk. 

He reaches out, his hand sliding from your hip to your lower back as he moves right up in front of you. You tilt your head back to look at him. He leans down and his lips hover right over yours, “With your gorgeous looks, I believe it.” 

Joe kisses you softly and when he pulls away, he quickly runs his thumb across your chin. You smile and hold his cigarette out to him. He gently takes your wrist in his hand and kisses the inside of it, before putting his lips on the cigarette. He takes the stool next to you, pulling it close to yours. He wraps his arm around your waist and pulls you close into him. You lean into his chest as his thumb rubs your side, through the fabric of your dress. 

His lips press against your temple, “Sorry I’m late.” 

You gently grasp his tie and run your hand down it as you kiss his jaw. He turns and captures your lips with his own. 

“Kiss me better than that and you might make it back into my good graces,” you say with a smirk. You’re really not annoyed in the least, his job can be demanding. Besides, he wasn’t even that late.

Joe narrows his eyes at you briefly in thought as he licks his lips before a smirk appears. You watch as he stubs out his cigarette, that he’s only halfway through, and turns to face you. He softly grips your bare calf, that’s crossed over your other leg, and turns you to face him, your legs now between his.

He lays his hands on the sides of your face, and slowly leans in. The kiss that follows makes your toes curl. It’s delicate yet passionate; hard to describe, but amazing to experience. It’s the kind of kiss that keeps your eyes closed a beat longer than his when he pulls away.

Your cheeks turn pink and his nose is touching yours, “Better?”

You lick your bottom lip and nod in his grasp; lovingly you whisper, “Good job, Detective.”

His thumbs rub your skin tenderly as he looks into your eyes.

“Anya, you mind getting my beautiful, blushing bride another whiskey?” He asks, never breaking his gaze, a small smile on his face.

Anya smirks, “Not at all.”

Your hands move up the front of his shirt until they find his collar, tugging gently on the lapels, “You make it worse when you say things like that,” as you feel more heat blossom to your face.

He chuckles and presses a kiss to your lips, “I know.” He kisses each cheek, before letting go of your face. One hand drops to your knee, his fingers sliding under the material of your dress to caress your skin. He leans his other elbow on the bar, picking up his glass of scotch and taking a sip. His tongue sweeps across his lower lip as he sets his glass down, then he’s looking at you again and straightening back up to face you. 

You giggle as you reach out to him, using your thumb to gently wipe a smudge of your red lipstick from his lip. He wraps his hand around yours before you pull away and places a kiss on your palm. Your lace your fingers with his as he lowers your intertwined hands to his knee. 

You two act like you’re on a first date. Throughout the night he holds you close, whispering in your ear how much he loves you and how bad he wants to touch you, causing you to giggle and nuzzle his face, placing kisses here and there. He chuckles with you, sharing kisses. Finally, his whispering becomes more intense and neither of you are laughing anymore. 

You nuzzle his neck before nipping at his earlobe, whispering, “Joe, take me home.” 

He looks at you, running the back of his finger sweetly against your cheek, “Let’s get out of here,” kissing you gently. 

Within minutes of walking into your apartment, your dress is on the floor with your bra and panties dropped not too far from it. Joe’s clothes are on the floor, like a breadcrumb trail to the bed. 

After his hands run down your body, caressing your sweet spots, Joe is nestled between your legs. His movements within you causing the room to be filled with your gasps and breathy moans. 

His deep moans eventually find their way to your ear as you both are overcome with an intense wave of pleasure. You cry out his name as you dig your nails into his shoulder blades, your body quivering beneath his. As you both catch your breath, he nuzzles your neck, kissing your skin. 

It’s not long after that that you’re both asleep, Joe’s arm holding your nude body against his. 

It’s a few hours later when the phone rings. It’s early in the morning, the sun still hours away from rising. The shrill sound wakes you both. Joe reaches over to his night stand to grab the phone, bringing it to his ear. His deep, sleep riddled voice answers, “Yeah, hello?” 

You lay your arm on his chest, your chin on top, as you watch him speak. His hand on your bare bottom lightly taps your skin as you see his face grow serious; you know it’s a signal that he has to get up. You sit up, holding the sheets at your chest, as he sits up after you. He swings his legs over the side of the bed, “I’ll be there as soon as I can.” He just about slams the phone back in the cradle and stands up. 

“What is it?” 

He finds his boxers on the floor, picking it up and pulling it on, “We had two guys sitting on Bugsy Siegel’s house and there’s been a shootout. Our guys were hit. I have to get down to the scene.” He picks up his undershirt tank next, slipping it on over his head. 

You watch his hurried movements and get up. You reach for your short, silk robe hanging on your mirror and quickly put it on, tying it at your waist. 

He stands up from the edge of the bed, where he had been pulling on his socks, and grabs his pants off the back of the chair. You walk to the closet and pull out a clean, ironed white shirt for him and a navy patterned tie. 

As he starts slipping a belt through the loops, he sees you at the closet, “Baby, go back to sleep. No reason you need to have your night interrupted too.” 

You hold his shirt out for him, which he takes gratefully, “Please, you need to get there as fast as you can. Two pairs of hands are better than one.” 

As he buttons up his shirt, you start on his tie. You loop it around his neck and tuck it under his collar. You start flipping and looping the material as Joe starts straightening his cuffs and buttoning them; you see him pause to look at you, pressing a quick kiss to your forehead. Just as he starts tucking his shirt into his pants, you tighten the knot you created and make sure it’s straight. He buckles his belt and you start to step away but his hands on your hips stop you. 

“I love you. Thank you, sweetheart.” He kisses you softly. 

You cup his jaw briefly, “I love you too”, before stepping away. He sits back on the bed to put on and tie his shoes. You grab his watch, wallet, and badge off the dresser, handing them to him when he stands back up. He shoves his wallet into his pocket, quickly fastens the watch around his wrist, and slides the badge onto his belt. 

You follow him to the door where he grabs his hat and coat. He turns to you and can’t help but run his hand down the edge of your robe, by your chest. You watch his hand move down against your skin before he reaches for your face and leans in to kiss you. 

“Promise me you’ll get some sleep.” He knows you worry when he’s out late and he feels bad you had to get woken up like that. 

“I promise I’ll try.” You give him a small smile. 

He returns it, “Fair enough.”

You grasp his face gently, “Joe, baby, please be careful.” 

“I will.” 

Your nerves cause you to kiss him a little rougher that you intended but he doesn’t seem to mind. When he pulls away, he kisses your forehead before placing his hat on his head, his hand coming down on the edge of the brim. You give his forearm a squeeze right before he walks out the door. 

You watch out the window as he pulls away and you just hope that nothing happens to him too. Once his car is out of sight, exhaustion washes over you. You make your way back to the bedroom and slip out of your robe, hanging it on the bed post. You decide to crawl into Joe’s side of the bed. It’s so warm from his body and the pillow smells like him, the closest thing you’ll have to his actual body being next to you. You fall asleep shortly after. 

Joe walks through the door about six hours later. Being disturbed last night causes you to sleep a little later than normal. He sees you sound asleep on his side of the bed and his heart flutters; he’ll never be surprised that you still have that effect on him. The sight of you will always make his heart clench until the day he dies. 

The sheets have been tossed around enough that your bare chest is visible and dear god if he doesn’t wish he could just crawl in next to you and kiss your skin. He slowly sits on the edge of the bed, hoping it won’t wake you, but he feels your legs move behind him. You stretch your body out, your feet pushing against his backside, before opening your eyes. You only glance quickly, making out Joe’s form, “How are they?” 

Joe slips one shoe off and starts on the untying the other, glancing at you, “They’ll live but it got close there for one of them.” 

You cover your mouth as a small yawn escapes you. You pull the sheet up over your chest as you finally sit up. You finally get a good look at him and your “Oh my god!” is muffled by your hand. 

Joe slips his other shoe off and turns his torso to face you, “It looks worse than it is.” 

He has a piece of gauze taped above his eyebrow, a gash on one cheek and a bruise forming on his jaw. Blood is ever present and you notice a small cut on his lip. His once clean, white shirt is dotted with blood. Your eyes trail down his arm and see his knuckles on his right hand are bloodied too. 

You move your hand, “Oh, Joe” you breathe. You move onto your knees to get closer to him, gripping his chin gently as you inspect his face a little more, his eyes are on yours. 

“Get this shirt off and let me clean you up.” You press a kiss to his lip where there’s no blood. 

You stand up and grab a pair of panties, putting them on. Then you grab your robe from the bed post and throw it back on. Joe pulls on the knot of his tie, loosening it, and just slips it over his head, tossing it on the bed. He stands up and tugs his shirt from his pants, unbuttoning it. After the shirt is discarded, you take his hand and lead him into the bathroom. You have him sit on the edge of the tub and stand in front of him, his chin tilted up slightly. Removing the gauze from his forehead reveals an open gash, “What happened?” 

He speaks as you gently wipe the blood from his face, “We got a guy at the scene, found him hiding in some bushes…” You thread a needle and Joe gently pulls you onto his knee, “…we had him at the station when he got combative, starting swinging at everyone…” 

You reach up, pushing his skin close as you slide the needle through, “And Master Gunnery Sergeant Teague to the rescue, right?” You tease, a small smile at your lips.

He chuckles deeply, “Something like that,” his hand squeezes your thigh. 

Reaching to the sink, you grab the scissors and cut off the extra thread. You then stitch up the cut on his cheek. 

“And Bugsy Siegel?” 

Joe shakes his head slightly, “Never showed. Must of got a tip we were watching him.” 

You kiss his forehead and in return, his kisses the top of your chest that’s showing. He then rests his forehead near your neck, his nose brushing the top of your breast. You gently scratch the back of his head, “You want breakfast?” 

He shakes his head against you then lifts his head, “I just want to sleep next to my darling wife.” 

You blush and kiss him softly. He stands up, you in his arms, and carries you to the bed. He sits you down on the bed then unbuckles his belt, taking his pants off. You lean back on your hands, watching your handsome husband. He slips off his undershirt, then moves closer to you. He pulls one end of your robe’s belt, until the knot comes undone, your robe falling open. You sit up, your arms pulling out of it, letting it fall off. 

He leans down, kissing your upturned face and hooking an arm around you. He pulls you into him and moves you up the bed as he lays down, cuddling you to him. You gently run your fingers through his hair, lulling him to sleep. You place a gentle kiss to his bruised jaw. 

Your eyes wander over his rugged face and a smile spreads on your own. You kiss his cupid’s bow and whisper, “I love you so much.” 

You watch as the corner of his mouth moves up into a small smile, “I love you too.”


	2. Joe's Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Borrowed the scene of Joe's PTSD nightmare

He’s coming home today.

Joseph Teague came into your life shortly after you moved to Los Angeles. You got into a minor fender bender and Joe was the responding officer. A man had tapped your bumper but yet was yelling at you. Joe immediately put the guy in his place, shutting him up. As the information was written down, Officer Teague had asked for your phone number – “In case I have any follow up questions.” His only follow up question would end up being, “Can I take you to dinner?” 

After several months of dating, you two moved in with each other. You found a small apartment over a store, but it was yours. That’s all that mattered. 

On December 8, 1941, the day after the attack hit the news, Joe enlisted into the Marines. You were so proud of him, wanting to defend his country, but you were also terrified for what may come. 

His boot camp took place in San Diego, a few hours away. Every chance he got, Joe came home to you. It was on one of these trips home that he asked you to marry him. He told you how much he loved you, how better of a man he was because of you. The tears quickly went from happy to sad as he also explained how if anything were to happen to him, he wanted his money and benefits to go to you which was only possible if you two were married. Just the thought of a life without him was unbearable. 

Your love for him was beyond words so you of course said yes. It was quickly put together, just the two of you and a few close friends, but it happened. You became husband and wife. 

Shortly after, Joe got sent to the Pacific. You hadn’t seen him since. 

It’s been two years. Two years since you last saw your husband. Last touched your husband. Last kissed your husband. 

But today, he comes home. For good. 

 

You’re at Union Station, with the crowds of other military wives and families, still pulling at your blouse and skirt, wanting to look perfect. You had checked your makeup and hair more times than you could remember before leaving the apartment. He hadn’t seen you in two years – you had to look your absolute best. You could feel yourself slightly shaking – from excitement, anticipation, and even a little fear – what if he fell out of love with you while over there? What if being away from each other this long was too much for him? 

The energy from the crowd builds as a train is heard pulling into the station. You move between bodies, standing on your tiptoes every few seconds trying to see if any of the men filing into the station is your Joe. The crowd gets a little smaller as families leave with their men. 

Despite the exiting families, the crowd is still too large for you to be able to spot him for the next wave. You quickly look around and find an empty seat. You quickly push your way over and climb up, standing up on the seat. Perfect view. 

Another train is pulling into the station. Your heart feels like it might beat out of your chest. The wave of soldiers comes pouring into the terminal, you quickly scan each face. 

You honestly think you stop breathing.

There he is, your husband, Joseph Teague. 

He looks so handsome. You see him scanning the crowd for you and you almost can’t find your voice to shout to him because you’re just so lost in seeing him again. Thankfully, it only lasts for a few seconds.

“Joe!” You shout, waving your arm, “Joe!”

He hears you, looks around before quickly spotting you thanks to your vantage point. His eyes lock on yours and his face breaks into the biggest smile, the one that takes your breath away. Tears well up in your eyes as his never leave yours the whole time he pushes through the crowd to get to you. 

Just as he gets within a couple feet, you get down, a smile plastered on your face. 

You can see his own eyes filling with tears as he steps in front of you.

“Welcome home Marine.” You manage to get out just as he drops his duffel on the floor. 

No words leave him. He pushes you both into the nearby corner; his hands are on your cheeks and his lips are on yours within seconds. Your tears mixing with his. 

You wrap your arms around his torso and hold him tight. If you both didn’t need air, you two probably would have never pulled apart. 

He keeps his forehead against yours, the back of his fingers so gently caressing your face. He wipes some of your tears before pulling back to look at you. He runs his hand over your hair, down your neck; his eyes looking at every part of your face, as if documenting every part of you, remembering every part of you. 

You wipe the couple tears of his that made their way down his face. You don’t pull your hand away though, you run your fingertips down his cheek onto his stubble. You drag them down his jaw, over his chin. It’s then that you feel his finger under your chin, him having you look at him. 

“I missed the hell out of you.” And he says it so softly, so genuine, that your heart clenches. 

You grasp his face and press your lips to his. His hands are on your back, pulling you against him, as his tongue finds yours. Your hands slide back until your arms are wrapped around his neck. When you both pull away, he places kisses along your jaw and under your ear as you both move into a hug. 

When he feels your heart beating against his chest, it’s the first time he’s felt at peace for the first time in two years. 

__

Joe drove home with you straddling his lap. Your giggles mixed with his laughing as you peppered his face and neck with kisses as he slowly drove home. At every red light his hands were instantly off the wheel and on you, his mouth finding yours. And every green light was acknowledged solely due to the honking that came from those waiting behind you. 

Once you unlocked the apartment door and stepped inside, his bag was on the floor and his arms around you. His lips and tongue were going to work on your neck as you moved across the apartment. 

You both managed to kick off your shoes at some point before you felt him backing you up against a wall. He nibbles your earlobe before kissing below it. The back of your head rests against the wall, your hand gripping the back of his neck. 

His lips graze along your cheek until he’s kissing you. It’s sweet and passionate. As you melt into him, your feel his hand slide across your body. You feel the zipper of your skirt being pulled down followed by the fabric cascading down your legs as it falls to a pile at your feet. 

His hands run down the outside of your bare thighs. Then with his knuckles, he grazes the inside of them. He slides one hand under your blouse, up your back. With his other hand, he uses his index finger to gently trace between your legs. You can’t help but quickly pull away from the kiss, when you feel his finger moving, and look at him as a breathy gasp leaves your lips, your hips slightly bucking against his hand. His eyes stay on you, full of lust, as he drags his finger up the front and along the edge of your panties. 

Heat comes to your cheeks as his soft, yet hungry stare makes you need him more. You unbutton his shirt in between his feverish kisses to your lips and neck. When he steps back from you to take off his pants, you slip your blouse over your head. 

He looks back up to find you standing in your bra and panties. Your smooth, silky skin that he hasn’t tasted or touched in far too long. That gorgeous face of yours and that beautiful body, things he thought he would never get a chance to see or touch again. 

You feel nervous under his stare. Did he not like what he saw? Maybe he’s seen better on one of those god forsaken exotic islands, where they probably had beautiful, exotic women? 

But then you see that small smile as his eyes slowly move from your legs, up to your waist, to your chest, before meeting your gaze. 

“Baby…” he says softly, with such awe and such love. All your insecurities disappear. 

He scoops you up into his arms and holds you close against his chest as you kiss him, hands on his face. He walks you over to the bed, kneeling on the edge as he sits you down on top. He leans down to kiss you as his hands reach behind you unclasping your bra and sliding it off your arms, tossing it carelessly behind him. 

Without breaking contact, you move back laying down as Joe follows you down, laying on top of you. 

He pulls away slowly to look at you, to caress your skin, and to smooth his hand over your hair.

“I love you.” 

Your hands find his biceps and squeeze gently, “I love you too.” 

The passionate love you two make that night is the result of the unwavering love that you both have and held onto for the 730 days you were apart. 

__

You almost feel like it’s a dream, the feeling of muscled arms around you. You feel like Joe coming home was a dream, that is until your eyes open and find his sleeping form next to you. 

He looks so peaceful, so relaxed. No creases between his eyebrows, no firm set mouth, no clenching jaw. Every part of him at ease. 

You don’t want to wake him up. This is probably the most sleep he’s gotten, but who can blame you for wanting to touch your husband. 

Ever so lightly, you brush your fingertips along his cheekbone. Then you run them over his eyebrow, before leaning closer and pressing a kiss there. You drag your fingertip down his bumpy nose, a smile coming to your face. You look at his shoulder to look at one of his new scars you noticed last night. This one looks like a burn scar. You press a kiss there as well. 

You press a light kiss to the corner of his mouth, the next thing you know his hand on your back is pulling you close against him. His dark brown eyes appear and you fall in love all over again. You kiss him softly. His hand is sliding up your back, over your shoulder to the side of your neck. The back of his finger then trails down your throat. 

“Waking up to you, feels like a dream. A beautiful dream.” 

You feel yourself blush as you smile. You snuggle further into him, his arms wrapping protectively around you, holding you. 

“I missed you so much, Joe. So much.” You say against his neck. 

He turns his face to kiss your temple, then your cheek. 

The phone rings and he feels you stiffen in his arms for a few seconds. He rubs your back and mumbles ‘let it ring’ because nothing was going to keep him from finally holding his wife again. 

When the ringing stops, he finally asks, “You okay?” 

Your heart is beating fast and you know he can feel it, but you nod anyway. And as you figured, he didn’t believe you. 

“Hey, talk to me.” 

You pull back a little so you can look at his handsome face. There’s those creases between his eyebrows. 

“Someone been bothering you while I was away?” You see his jaw clench as he waits for your answer.

“No, no. Nothing like that.” You shake your head and place a hand on his chest, rubbing gently with your thumb. 

You hesitate before continuing, “Just…every time the phone rang while you were gone…my heart always stopped. I was always worried it would be that phone call…the one telling me you were killed in action.” You glance away from him as you finish your sentence, not wanting him to see you upset. Your eyes fill with tears and you feel him kiss your forehead. 

He didn’t know how you did it. How you stayed so strong these past two years. He got your letters – you never complained, you never had anything negative to say. He could never understand how you didn’t yell at him for leaving you. You never did, not even once. He knew times were tough for everyone in the States during the war, but he never really thought about the emotional toll aside from just missing him. He never realized the everyday fear you felt when someone knocked on your door, how you thought that would be the telegram telling you your husband was killed. Or how every time the phone rang, you thought you were about to find out that you were now a widow. 

“I love you so much, sweetheart.” He whispers into your hair, pressing a kiss there.

__

 

That night you both meet up with one of Joe’s Marine friends, Ned, as well as Ned’s girlfriend, Beth. The four of you decided to get drinks and go dancing at Bunny’s Jungle Club. It was no Clover Club, but you and Joe preferred it that way. 

Ned fought with Joe in Guadalcanal, he was under Joe’s command. Ned shared stories of several times Joe saved his life. Each story made your heart race at the things that these men had to deal with, with the things Joe had to deal with. You could see how much Joe didn’t want the attention for what he did, he didn’t see it as a big deal. It was your first glimpse at what he went through over there and you were more proud of him than before. 

As Beth drags Ned to the dance floor, you move to sit in Joe’s lap. His arms instantly around you, him kissing your exposed shoulder. You run your fingernails through his hair before loosely wrapping your arms around his neck. 

“I’m so proud of you.” 

He glances down for a second, bashful at the sentiment, “He’s making it a bigger deal than it was.”

You just give him a small smile, not believing him for a second. You take his chin in your grasp and kiss him, “You saved lives, Joe. You should be proud of yourself too.”

He just gives you a shy smile, pressing a quick kiss to your lips. Before you realize it, he’s standing up, holding you in his arms. You hold tight to his neck, “What are you doing?” you laugh. 

“Dancing with my wife.” He carries you over to the dance floor; everyone looking at you two for his grand gesture. You feel yourself getting red which only makes him smile. He gently puts you down before pulling you against him by your waist, his other hand finding yours. You rest your other arm on his shoulder, your fingers playing with the hair at the back of his head. 

You’re both quiet at first, just enjoying the embrace of one another as you sway slowly to the beautiful song the jazz singer is belting out. 

“I forgot your laugh.” He says out of nowhere.

You look at him, “what?”

He glances between you and the other people in the club, sort of in a daze like, “We were in the middle of an ambush. We were running out of ammo and it wasn’t looking good for us…” 

You have no idea if Ned’s stories made him decide to open up and you almost don’t want to hear it but somewhere deep down you realize how therapeutic it has to be for him and who were you to tell this brave man to keep his stories to himself?

“…and all of a sudden it hit me, I forgot what your laugh sounded like…” his hand squeezes yours. 

“…I wasn’t gonna die without hearing your laugh one more time.” 

That’s where he stops. He doesn’t go into detail about how they ended up coming out on top of that ambush. He doesn’t further explain how he truly thought they were all going to die but that sudden realization of not remembering your laugh gave him some new found strength to risk his life in order to possibly save it, so he could make it home to you. 

You pull yourself closer to him and place a kiss on his neck, but it doesn’t feel like enough. You let go of his hand, instead wrapping that arm around his neck too. His vacant hand finds your lower back and he looks at you. 

You slowly lean in, kissing him. His hands slide up further as he holds you to his chest. 

“You have no idea how much I love you,” kissing his cupid’s bow. 

He kisses between your eyebrows before nuzzling your nose with his as he moves down to press a kiss to your lips, “You are the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” 

__

It’s Joe’s movements that wake you up. You sit up and look over at him. He’s still asleep but his limbs are moving around and he’s mumbling. You make out the word ‘Japs’ and your stomach drops as you realize he’s dreaming about the war. 

You squeeze his bicep, “Joe, wake up.” A little shake, “wake up.” 

It happens so fast. 

He sits up and moves over you, pinning you down on your back as he straddles your hips, his hands grasping your throat. 

You’re terrified. Absolutely terrified. 

His eyes are open but you can tell he’s not there with you. His hands come off your throat, but he covers your mouth with his hand and pushes down. You’re frozen with uncertainty and fear, all you can do is grasp his hand that’s on your mouth as tears fall from your eyes. 

You watch as the man you love mimics pulling a knife from his belt and shoving it into your chest. He leans a little closer to you, shushing you. 

Once you feel his hand loosen on your face, you lean your head back. Between sobs, you speak to him, “Joe, you’re home. You’re back from the war.” You actually see in his eyes, the moment he comes back to you. It’s a second before he sees what he’s doing to you, his hand now flying to cover his own mouth as he sits back on his heels. His eyes wildly look over you and your tear stained face. 

You start to sit up, but you can’t stop crying, “Joe, it’s okay.” 

He jumps off the bed and runs into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. You hang your head, covering your mouth as more sobs escape you. 

Your heart breaks for him. 

You stand up and wipe some tears away but you’re still traumatized and the tears won’t stop. But you need to comfort him, you need to. 

You walk over to the bathroom and open the door. He’s sitting on the floor, his knees bent with his elbows resting on top and his face is buried in his hands. You see his shoulders shaking ever so slightly so you know he’s crying too. 

“Joe…”

He doesn’t look up. You actually see him pull his knees in more, like he’s trying to hide within himself. 

You slowly walk over to him, kneeling on the tiled floor in front of him. He feels your body between his knees and he lifts his head, hands falling to reveal his distraught, wet face. 

“I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry, baby! I…I don’t know…I don’t know what I was doing…” He’s starting to ramble and it just makes more tears fall because this isn’t him. He’s never been tortured like this. 

“Are you hurt?! Did I…did I hit you?” He asks with a quick sob; he goes to touch you but actually stops himself, instead just hovering near you. He’s afraid he’ll scare you more.

You grab his arms and put them around you as you move closer into him. You put your hands on his face, “I’m okay. You didn’t hit me, you didn’t hurt me. Joe, please don’t be mad at yourself, it wasn’t you. It wasn’t you.” 

Once you make his hands touch you, you feel him grasping at you as he pulls you against him. 

“It was me! I did that to you!” He closes his eyes and leans his head back against the wall. 

Your hands slide to his bare chest and you gently scratch his skin to get his attention. He opens his eyes to look at you, but he’s still broken up. 

“You didn’t even realize what was happening. It wasn’t really you.” 

He just shakes his head, “I…I should go. You shouldn’t be near me, it isn’t safe.” 

He begins to move, but you push against his chest, stopping him. 

The tears start back up, “You just came back to me! Don’t you dare leave me again Joseph, promise me you won’t leave again! I’m safe with you, I’ve always been safe with you.”

You rest your forehead against his as he fights back more tears. Then in a low, defeated voice, “If I ever hurt you, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.” 

“You would never hurt me.” You press your lips against his and for a second he doesn’t do anything, but you finally feel him start kissing you back. 

He even brings his hands up to your face, more gentle than ever before. When you both pull away, you look at him, “I love you. Please, let’s just go back to bed.” 

He just looks into your eyes for a second before nodding slowly. You kiss his cheek before standing up and putting your hand out to him. He takes your hand and stands up, letting you lead him back to the bedroom. 

You remember him laying back down with you, but when you wake up the next morning you find him sleeping on the couch. 

You decide to let him sleep even though you’re sad that he didn’t stay with you in the bed. You make a pot of coffee and the smell must have woken him up because from the kitchen doorway you hear him, “Hey.” 

You turn around and look at him. He has a sheepish look to him, still embarrassed and upset about what happened.

You walk over to him and just hug him. You hear a small, quiet sigh of relief leave him when you do. His arms embrace you, hugging you close. You place several kisses along his jaw. 

“Don’t sleep on the couch. I’ve missed you too much for you not to sleep next to me.” 

“You aren’t scared of me? Of sleeping next to me?” 

You look at him and you grab his hand, placing it over your heart so he feels your steady heartbeat – no lies – “No, I’m not.” 

He cups your cheek, kissing you, “If I could, I’d ask you to marry me all over again.”


	3. Peeping Tom

The last thing he ever expected working as a Detective in Robbery/Homicide would be looking at photos of unsuspecting nude women.  But he is and he hates it.  Being a Detective requires you to get into the mind of a criminal in order to catch one, but feeling like a criminal is a whole other level and that’s what he feels like right now.  These innocent women thinking they were safe inside their homes to do as they want, only to have had a peeping tom outside their windows photographing them. 

 

He ended up in this situation when he received an anonymous tip with the name of a possible suspect in several unsolved robberies.  He went to the suspect’s apartment only to find him not home.  Joe had the landlord open the apartment and he did a search, finding items that were reported stolen in the robberies, along with other items, one being a camera.  In an effort to find the rightful owner, he had the pictures developed.  Those pictures added the criminal element of voyeurism to this guy’s resume. 

 

He pulls out his pack of Lucky Strikes, picking out a cigarette.  He tilts his head as he lights it, taking a few short puffs to start it.  He tucks it into the corner of his mouth so he can continue using his hands to flip through the pictures.  Nothing in the pictures provide any identifying features that could help him figure out who some of these women are – they deserve to know they’re victims of a real bastard. 

 

He flips to the next picture and his breath catches in his throat.  He recognizes that bedroom.  He’s slept in that bed, made love in that bed.  And the familiar figure sitting on the edge of the bed is someone he knows well, very well.  It’s you and you’re in your apartment.  

 

Your back is what faces the camera mostly, but like all the women before you, you’re naked and unknowing that you’re being photographed.  You’re turned slightly, so the side of your breast is visible, and your leg is propped up on the bed as you lotion your skin. 

 

Joe feels his heart racing as his adrenaline picks up speed.  He leans forward, elbows on the desk, as his eyes scrutinize the picture.  He hesitantly goes to the next picture and it’s you again.  Seems to be the same night except now you’re standing up and your entire nude form is visible.  His jaw clenches as he thinks how this pervert was watching you for god knows how long. 

 

The picture after that one manages to surprise him, despite the content, because it’s a little different from the others.  All this guy’s pictures were of just women, but not this one.  This one has a man in the picture too, and it’s Joe. 

 

It’s the living room of your apartment, and from this bastard’s point of view, he could see right into your kitchen.  There you are again, except this time you have clothes on – you’re wearing Joe’s white button up shirt and that’s it.  It hits you mid-thigh and the long sleeves are rolled up so to not get in your way.  And there’s Joe, his back to the camera.  He’s dressed, with his undershirt tank top, only missing said shirt you’re wearing.  He’s leaning against his shoulder on the doorway into the kitchen; his legs are crossed to the side a little, hands in his pockets.  He remembers this moment…

 

_You’re standing at the kitchen counter when a song on the radio comes on.  It’s a song that was made for dancing so that’s exactly what you do.  As you move about the kitchen, you’re spinning around and shaking your booty.  You never noticed Joe walk over and lean against the doorway, watching you with a smile._

_“Some nice moves you got there.” He chuckles, startling you._

_You turn to look at him, your face instantly blushing, “Joe!” you whine playfully, embarrassed he didn’t announce himself sooner._

_It only makes Joe smile more, “Come here” he says softly._

_You can’t hide the grin on your face as you walk over, cheeks still pink from being caught.  Joe stands up straight and wraps his arms around you.  You bury your face in his shoulder as he leans down to kiss your cheek and nuzzle your neck.  He lifts his head back up and moves back a step so he can take your face in his hands and look at you._

_“You’re killing me in this.”  He glances at his shirt you’re wearing._

_“Can’t have that now can we?  Maybe I should take it off?” you can tease just as much as he can.  You start to unbutton the shirt when Joe grips your waist and lifts you up, your legs hooking around his hips.  Your arms are around his shoulders but you’re caressing the back of his head._

_“I’ll take care of that for you.” And he carries you back to the bedroom._

The scene plays out like a flipbook and stops once you and Joe exit the living room.  This guy doesn’t want a naked man in his photos, but that doesn’t necessarily mean this guy stopped watching you two after that. 

 

Joe’s blood is boiling, partially due to his own naivety.  He’s a goddamn Detective and even he had no idea you two were being watched.  He sits back in his chair, running a hand over his face.  He just lets this new information sink in, when a thought strikes him.  He instantly leans forward onto the desk and starts flipping through all the pictures again, this time counting.  Counting how many pictures have you in them.  And when he’s finished, he’s discovered there are more pictures of you than any other woman and the fear within himself grows as it’s made obvious…you have a stalker.

 

He pulls from the pile all the pictures that you’re in and stuffs them into a manila envelope from his desk.  He takes a quick look around before stuffing the bottom of the envelope into the back of his pants, covering the rest of it by throwing his jacket on.  He hastily grabs his hat and exits his office, walking briskly outside and to his vehicle.  He’s heading to the last place he left you, his own apartment. 

 

He takes the stairs two at a time and unlocks the door.  The place is quiet and he knows, as he figured, that you’re still sleeping.  You have a shift at Bunny’s tonight. 

 

He takes off his jacket, tossing it onto his couch and drops his hat on the cushion.  He takes the envelope out from behind him and walks into his bedroom.  He places it on top of his dresser before making his way over to your side of his bed. 

 

You look so beautiful, so peaceful.  A smile spreads on his face.

 

He takes a knee right next to the bed, resting an elbow on the mattress.  He sweetly runs his fingers through your hair.  Then, he puts his hand gingerly on your cheek, his thumb sweeping across your skin, under your eye.  He leans forward and presses his lips to your forehead, to the tip of your nose, then to the corner of your mouth. 

 

You start to stir, turning your head slightly into the pillow.  His thumb is still rubbing your skin, and you open your eyes to Joe’s rugged, handsome face. 

 

You’re happy to see him, but confused.  You usually leave for work before Joe gets home. 

 

“Joe? You’re home already? What time is it?” You blink a few times as your brain wakes from the grogginess of sleep. 

 

“It’s still early.  I came by to see you and to talk to you about something.”   

 

The sudden tone of his makes you fully wake up, his hand hasn’t left your face, his thumb hasn’t stopped moving. 

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

He doesn’t answer, instead leaning forward to kiss you.  When he pulls away, he stands up and walks over to the dresser.  He grabs the envelope as you sit up, tossing the sheets back.  You’re in your silk nighty that you keep at his place.  Joe takes a seat next to you and pulls your legs over his lap, drawing your closer.  He wraps his arm around your waist, as his hand holding the envelope is draped over your knees. 

 

He explains to you about the robbery suspect and finding the camera. 

 

“The pictures on it, they’re of naked women in their own apartments.  This guy was watching them from outside at night, photographing them.”

 

You just listen, not sure why he’s sharing this with you. But then he finishes with, “Including you.”

 

You look at him, eyebrows knitted in confusion as what he says fully sinks in. As it does, tears well up in your eyes and if you only knew how much that breaks his heart.

 

You point to the envelope in his hands, “Is that them?”

 

He nods, “I wasn’t sure if you wanted to see them or not.”

 

You put your hand out and he places it in your hand.  As you open the envelope and pull out the pictures, you feel as he pulls you closer. 

 

You start flipping through the pictures and the tears in your eyes start to fall.  Bringing your hand to cover your mouth, you continue looking.  Joe’s hand runs up your back, gripping the back of your neck gently, leaning in to kiss your temple. 

 

You just keep looking and you see the ones that have Joe in them.

 

You feel violated and embarrassed and scared. 

 

You look at him, tears trailing down your face, “Did anyone else at the station see these?”  

 

“No, and no one ever will.”  He wipes the tears from your cheeks, kissing your forehead. 

 

“There were more photos of you than anyone else.  I think this guy may be stalking you.  You’re staying here for as long as it takes me to get this bastard.”

 

You just nod, still looking at the pile of pictures.  As the reality sets in, a sob racks your body, “Joe…” you manage to get out before he’s wrapping his arm around your knees and pulling you into his lap, into his body; the pictures falling to the floor.  Your arms are around his neck as you cry into his neck.

 

“Baby, I’m sorry.  I’m so sorry.”  He keeps repeating and you know he’s blaming himself.  You know the second he saw himself in those photos he blamed himself for not seeing this guy, for not stopping him.

 

__

 

You both decided that it’d be best if you continued doing your normal routines because as of yet, this guy hasn’t approached you.  And Joe would keep an eye on you more and will hopefully catch this guy in the act. 

 

You stay at Joe’s every night, only going back to your apartment when you need something and even then, only during the day and with Joe by your side.  Some nights, you’re alone as Joe sits on your apartment hoping to spot this guy outside your window or he’ll sit on the guy’s last known address, but he’s had no luck at either location.  

 

Joe heads up to his apartment before stopping at Bunny’s to see you.  He needs a quick shower after being outside at a scene all day in this hot Los Angeles weather.   The second he steps inside his apartment, he feels an instant shock of pain shoot through his head before it goes dark.

 

He doesn’t know how much time has passed when he comes to.  His head is throbbing and he feels and smells blood.  As he sits up, he finds he’s handcuffed to the radiator; he can’t fully stand up. 

 

He looks around and is just thankful that he doesn’t see you.  Means you’re still safe.

 

Walking out from the kitchen, popping the last bit of a sandwich into his mouth, is a lanky looking man.  His face is thin and he has beady looking eyes.  Tucked in his waistband is Joe’s gun.  Joe instantly knows that this is the pervert he’s been hunting.

 

“Hey! You’re finally awake, Detective!” 

 

Joe doesn’t respond, just watches this guy and his movements.  He notices the bat on the floor and isn’t surprised; there’s no way this weak looking guy could have taken Joe out with just his hands.

 

“Oh, come on! You’re not gonna talk to me? But you’ve been looking for me for a couple weeks now.  Well…here I am! So let’s chat.”

 

“You wanna talk? Then let’s talk like men.  Uncuff me.”

 

The man laughs and walks around the living room, glancing between Joe and the few things he has around the place.

 

“A for effort, Joe.  But if you don’t wanna talk now, that’s fine.  I’m sure you’ll have plenty to say when that little dish you’re screwing finally comes home…”

 

Joe’s heartbeat and breathing speeds up at the thought of you walking into this.  It’s bound to happen though.  There’s no way for him to get word to you to not show up. 

 

He moves to stand up, going as far as he can as he leans forward towards this man, growling, “You touch her, I’ll kill you! You hear me?!”

 

The man looks at Joe with a grin, “And how do you suppose you’ll accomplish that?  Looks to me like you can’t go very far.”

 

Joe snarls as he starts pulling on the handcuff and kicking at the radiator. 

 

This only seems to entertain the man, “Look at you go!”

 

Joe doesn’t let up though and it starts to anger the man now.  The guy picks up the baseball bat and walks towards Joe, “Now you’re starting to piss me off!” And with that, the bat connects with Joe’s body numerous times, including his head, knocking him out for a second time.

 

As soon as he comes to, he scans the apartment to see if you came home yet…you haven’t.  It’s the only relief he feels.

“Found this while you were sleeping.” The man holds up your silk nighty to show Joe, then he holds it to his nose as he takes a deep breath, “Man, she smells as good as I thought she would. She smell this good…everywhere?” He winks at Joe.

 

Joe groans quietly at his aching body as he sits up against the wall, “You think it’s not going to happen, but it will…I’m going to kill you.”

 

“Funny thing for a cop to say, especially when I’m the one with his gun.” He pulls the gun from his waistband to emphasize that fact.  He sticks it back in and tosses the nighty onto the couch. 

 

The sound of a door closing from a couple floors below is heard and the man pulls the gun back out, pointing it at Joe, “Sounds like the pretty thing is home.  Keep your mouth shut or I’ll shoot her as soon as she walks in the door.”

 

Joe glares at him, “You wouldn’t shoot the woman you’re pining after.”

 

“Wouldn’t I?  No one said they had to be alive for me to have fun.”

 

Joe feels like throwing up, this guy was sicker than he thought.  He can’t take the risk, he keeps his mouth shut. But he vows to himself that he’ll get you out of here even if it does cost him his own life. 

 

You notice the light on under the door as you unlock the door.  As you step inside, you see the scene in front of you, including Joe bloodied on the floor, “Joe!”

 

The man closes the door behind you.  You step back as the gun is pointed on you, but as you start walking backwards towards Joe, the man scolds you, “Nuh uh, dollface.  Over there.”  Using the gun he gestures to the chair across from Joe. 

 

You glance at him and stand by the chair.  You look at Joe who says to you, “I’m okay.”

 

The man whips his head towards Joe, “Don’t talk to her. I’m still the one with the gun, it would take less than a second to kill you in front of her.”

 

Tears are slowly running down your face.  You figured out pretty quick what this was about.  This guy must have followed you to Joe’s place one night, how else would he know you were staying here.

 

The man walks right up to you and you see, over his shoulder, Joe struggling against his restraints.

 

“My, my.  You are even more beautiful up close.”  He runs his grimy hand down your cheek and you slap his hand away.

 

 “Not a smart thing to do, doll.”  He backhands you, causing the corner of your mouth to bleed. 

 

The rage that erupts in Joe makes him feel like he really could rip the radiator off the wall.  He fully believes that he could crumble concrete and smash the radiator against this guy’s face.  As he pulls against the handcuff, stronger than before, he only succeeds in drawing blood from his own wrist. 

 

“You wanna hit someone?! You hit me!” Joe shouts.

 

“Shut up!” he directs at Joe.

 

Turning back to you, he smells your hair as he stays right in front of you. You quickly wipe some tears from your face. 

 

“You’re gonna do as I say or I shoot him.  It’s that simple.  You understand?”

 

You slowly nod as you glance at Joe. 

 

“Good.  Now unbutton your blouse and take it off, we’re gonna do this nice and slow.”  He finally takes a couple steps back to let you do as requested.

 

Joe watches as your shaking hands slowly raise to your shirt.  He watches as tears spill from your eyes.  He watches the small spot of blood collect on your mouth. 

 

He’s not going to let you be forced to strip for this piece of shit.  He’s not going to let this guy put another hand on you. 

 

“Some big man you are, huh?  What, your dick broken? Only get turned on by making women cry and forcing them to take their clothes off?”

 

The man glances at Joe before looking back at you.

 

“You’ve probably never even been with a woman before.  Look at you, who would want to even touch you.  You smell like shit and you look like shit.” 

 

The man starts getting fidgety and he knows he’s starting to get to him. 

 

“Let me guess? You tried with prostitutes first, but even they wouldn’t touch you, no matter how much money you threw at them?” Joe laughs. 

 

With that, the man points the gun at Joe, “Shut the hell up!” 

 

You squeeze your eyes shut for a second, honestly thinking Joe was about to get shot.

 

Joe just continues to laugh, “That’s it, huh? Not one woman has spoken to you, looked at you, touched you.  So you decide to just invade their privacy, taking photos of what’s not yours to look at.  Only way you can get any is by your own hand.  You’re pathetic.” 

 

The man takes a few steps closer and that’s all Joe needed.  Joe lunges forward surprising him, grabbing his arm and slamming the man’s wrist against the radiator causing him to drop the gun.  You quickly move forward grabbing it before stepping back again. 

 

Joe traps the guy’s arm under his own and head-butts him.  Grabbing the back of his neck, he slams the man’s head into the radiator followed by punches to his kidneys.  The man drops to the floor, unconscious.  Joe’s breathing heavy, blood trailing down his face.  You watch as Joe tries to reach the man’s pocket for the handcuff key, but it’s just out of his reach.  You move forward again, reaching into the man’s pocket yourself, finding it. 

 

You bend down in front of Joe, his hand is instantly on you.  He’s running it down your arm, down your side, into your hair.  As soon as you unlock the handcuff, you’re both standing up and Joe’s pulling you into him, holding you tight, as he walks you away from the man.  You cry into his chest as his lips press against your hair repeatedly.  One hand is weaved into your hair, cradling your head, the other wrapped tight around your waist. 

 

You pull back just enough to look at him through your tear filled eyes, “Look at you…” you breathe quietly, “…we have to get you cleaned up.”

 

He’s in awe of how much love you have for him, to still be worrying about him after everything you were just through.

 

“Hey, don’t worry about me. This is nothing.”  He takes your chin between his finger and thumb gently, looking at your cheek and mouth, “Are _you_ okay? Let me see.”  He sees the small cut on your lower lip and sees a hint of a bruise forming on your jaw.  As he inspects your minor injury, you still talk, “Joe, that isn’t nothing.  You’re going to need stitches in a few places.” 

 

He turns your head so he can look you in the eyes, “I’ll take care of it, don’t worry.  You need to go though.  Go to your place and put some ice on this.  I’ll come to you when I can.” 

 

“What do you mean I need to go?  I’m staying here with you.  We need to call your station house.”

 

He brings his hands up to cup your face, “Baby, I need you to trust me on this.  I’m going to take care of all of this, but I don’t want you anywhere near it.  Please.”

 

You grip his forearms, “Joe…” one last plea for him to rethink whatever it is he’s planning.

 

You both hear a small groan come from the man on the floor.  Joe turns his head to the side to hear for any other movement and hears nothing.  He turns back to you, kisses you quickly before letting you go. 

 

“Sweetheart, go.”

 

You button up the few buttons you had to undo earlier and look at him.  With that, you leave.  Just as you shut the door behind you, you hear Joe kick the man. 

__

 

The first two things you did when you got to your place was throw out the clothes you were wearing.  You’d never be able to wear those again without thinking about what had just happened.  The second thing was take a shower.  You needed to wash the feeling of his hands off of you. 

 

You slipped on your nightgown and did as Joe instructed, putting some ice in a dish towel and holding it to your jaw.  You hold it to your face as you pace, going over everything that had happened and worried at what Joe was doing at that very moment.  After about five minutes, you dump the ice in the sink and toss the dish towel on the counter.  You’re afraid to even go near the windows; knowing you’ve been watched before, despite the man being unconscious at your boyfriend’s place, makes you hesitant now. 

 

You know Joe won’t be back anytime soon so you just go to bed.  After an hour of tossing and turning, you manage to somehow fall asleep.   

 

You never heard Joe come in that night.  Never heard him as he stood in your bathroom, stitching his gashes, or as he took a shower washing blood from his skin.  You don’t remember feeling him sink into the mattress as he crawled into bed with you.  Never realized you naturally snuggled into him or felt him kiss your forehead. 

 

When you do wake up and realize Joe is there with you, he’s sound asleep.  You notice how he stitched himself up, taking care of it like he told you he would.  You run a fingertip over one set, ever so slightly.  You place light kisses on each wound that you see.  When you lay your head back down, looking at his sleeping face, you think about how brave he was in that situation.  How much of a beating he had taken but he still fought like hell to protect you.  You never felt so lucky to have the love of such a man. 

 

You slowly get up, leaving him to continue getting some rest.  You go to your door and open it, retrieving the morning paper.  As you head into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee, you open the paper, reading as you wait.  The top headline stares you right in the face.  Bold, black.  **Body Found Beaten and Shot in Griffith Park**. Your heart jumps because deep down you know.  As you read the description of the man found, it fits. 

 

It also states that the man was determined to have been shot there in the park due to the blood loss found, but police could not find any shell casings around.  Joe’s smart like that, you think.

 

You walk back into the bedroom and look at him. 

 

He’s killed before, hundreds probably during the war.  What’s one more? To save you from having to feel embarrassed and humiliated as you’re questioned by lawyers during a trial.  A trial that would have been a media frenzy due to the nature of the crime and how it escalated to a police officer being assaulted in his own home. 

 

You walk over and lift the sheets, sliding in next to him.  His arm instinctively wraps around you. 

 

“Joe?” you whisper, kissing his bruised cheek.  You kiss his jaw next.

 

“Hmm?” you hear him hum, eyes still closed.  His hand automatically rubbing your back.

 

“…they won’t find out it was you, right?” 

 

With that, he opens his eyes and looks into yours.  He should have figured the paper would have an article this fast; those reporters are vultures. 

 

“No, they won’t.”  He watches you, watches to see if you’re afraid of him for what he did.  To see if there’s fear in your eyes to know he was capable of such an act. But he doesn’t see any of that. 

 

The only thing he sees in your eyes is love. 

 

You kiss him softly and feel his hand come to the back of your head as he kisses you back.  When you pull away, you snuggle into his chest, your nose near the crook of his neck.  He holds you, kissing your head. 

 

“Thank you” you say against his skin.

 

“It’s my job to keep you safe.  No thank you needed,” he says sincerely. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Radiator scene borrowed from 'Mob City'


	4. Regular Customer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You're a bartender at Bunny's where Joe's a regular.

He’s a fairly regular customer.  He comes into the club a few times a week.  Always orders a whiskey and keeps to himself most of the time.  Occasionally another dark-haired man will join him, flashier than himself. 

 

You two are as close as a bartender and patron could be.  You know each other’s names and you banter easily like you two have known each other forever.  It’s comforting when he’s there.  His presence has a way of making you just feel safer. 

 

“Another, Joe?” you gesture to his glass. 

 

“Please.”  He downs the little amount that’s left and slides the glass to you.  You refill it in front of him. 

 

You notice he looks more tired than usual, the beginnings of dark circles are visible under his deep, brown eyes. 

 

You glance at him before putting the whiskey bottle back on the shelf, and sliding his glass back to him, “You sleeping alright?”

 

He stops mid-sip and raises an eyebrow to your question, “You looking out for me?” A small grin at his lips. 

 

You shrug and return his smile, “Someone should,” and his eyes grow softer at that.

 

He takes the sip of whiskey, licking his lips quick before placing the tumbler back on the wooden bar top, “Been a rough couple of nights, or uh several nights.  Bad dreams,” he tacks on at the end. 

 

He’s never spoken about it, but you know he was in the war.  That other guy that comes around, you’ve overheard him call Joe, ‘Gunney’, a term only servicemen have used.   You’ve never asked him about it because you figure if he wanted to talk about it, he’d bring it up.  Maybe if you give him a line, he may bite.

 

You lean on the bar a little, face more serious than before, “Would it help you to talk about them?”

 

His eyes narrow for a second as he watches you in thought.  He’s never had anyone really ask him something like that before; he hasn’t had someone seem to care about his well-being in a long time.

 

“Never really considered it.” 

 

You give him a small nod and stand up from leaning, “Look, I know you probably have someone better to talk to than a bartender, but just know if you need to, I’m always willing to listen.”   He fought for your freedom, the least you could do is offer him an ear. 

 

He finds himself fidget a little, something he never does, due to the new feeling of being cared for in a way, “Appreciate that but I wouldn’t want to bore you.”

 

You can tell he’s trying to deflect the attention from himself and it’s adorable.  You give him a small smirk, “You could never bore me.” 

 

His eyes stay on yours and you feel the smirk slowly start leaving your face as you both are almost peering into the other’s soul. 

 

Whatever kind of moment it was is broken when Anya, the other bartender, passes behind you.  Tapping your arm, “Got a group of men at the other end that I need your help with.  Each one has a different cocktail order,” she says with an eye roll. 

 

You glance at her and quietly clear your throat, “Yeah, of course.” 

 

You turn back to Joe, “Apparently you’re not the only customer here” poking fun at yourself before smiling and following Anya to the other end of the bar.

 

Joe watches you go, “Shame” he whispers in response.

 

__

 

It’s a few nights later when Joe comes in again.  As usual, he takes a seat at your end of the bar.   You greet him and get him his usual before going into the backroom to grab a few more bottles of liquor.  When you return, Anya is leaning across the bar from Joe, holding his cigarette in her hand. 

 

You feel a twinge of jealousy in your chest and you immediately feel stupid.  He’s not yours, you have no reason to feel jealous. 

 

You stick to placing the bottles on the shelf as you use all your willpower to not look over at them. 

 

When you’re all finished, Anya is next to you, “Joe seems to have taken a liking to you.  Use it to your advantage, the more they like you the bigger the tip.”   You ignore the bigger tip part of her statement and stick to the first bit.

 

“What makes you say that?”  You try not to sound like the giggly teenager you feel like right now.

 

“Was testing the waters for myself but caught his eye wandering over here…at you.”  She winks before greeting a new customer at her end.

 

You feeling yourself blushing and try to calm your heart rate before going to your end of the bar, where Joe is.

 

You notice an opened matchbook in front of him with writing on it, “Seems a little small to be doing policework on,” you grab the whiskey bottle and you mull over your joke in your head causing you to giggle.

 

For the first time since he’s been coming there you actually hear Joe chuckle, his eyes full of light, “Did you just crack yourself up with that one?”

 

You nod still giggling, grabbing his glass and pouring him a refill.  He still has a smile on his face as he lightly taps the matchbook on the bar.  You move his glass back to him and his fingers happen to overlap yours as he wraps his hand around it.   And in a strange turn of events, neither of you move your hands.  His fingers happen to have laid between yours, in an almost intertwinement of some kind. 

You bite your lip gently and his eyes flicker there before looking at you.  He uses his other hand to show you the matchbook, “Found it in my mailbox this morning.”

 

You take a chance and you gently grasp his hand holding the matchbook as if to steady it.  Now both hands were touching both of his.  Based on the writing, he’s meeting someone here in a few minutes.  There goes the jealousy twinge again as you wonder if a woman left it for him. 

 

You nod and let go of his hand, “Any idea who it might be?” You slowly move your hand out from under his on the glass.

 

“Anya seems to think it might be from a woman.” He says looking at you. 

 

“You don’t think so?” You grab a dish towel and dry a few glasses. 

 

“Wouldn’t matter if it was.”  He replies, sipping his liquor. 

 

“And why is that?” Oh god, has he had a girlfriend this whole time?

 

“Because I already know I wouldn’t be interested.   My focus is elsewhere at the moment.”  He keeps eye contact with his statement.  You feel your breath catch in your throat.  Does he mean you?  Or maybe he just meant work is so busy right now he doesn’t have time for anyone?

 

Before the conversation can go any further, a blondish man sits a couple stools down and asks you for a beer.  As you pour it, you hear him start talking to Joe and you realize this is the mystery matchbook person. 

 

\--

 

It’s the next night when Joe and his dark-haired friend is sitting at the table a few feet from the bar.  You walk over with your serving tray, delivering their drinks. 

 

When you place the second drink down, you make eye contact with Joe after you both notice the liquid in his glass is rippling slightly.  Just as it hits you both, the whole club starts shaking.  You drop your serving tray to the floor in the panic as Joe quickly gets up from his chair. 

 

He wraps an arm around your waist and he pushes you into the closest corner.  His other hand comes up to cradle the back of your head, and you both crouch down.  He has you pulled so tight against him that his body is shielding yours from the rest of the room. 

 

Despite the earthquake, time almost seems to slow down for you.  You’re acutely aware of the feeling of his nose near your ear, his breath tickling your skin.  His chest moving against yours as he breathes heavy from the situation.  His fingers resting within your hair.  And his voice as he calmly whispers repeatedly, “I got you” and “You’re okay”. 

 

When the shaking stops, he doesn’t move right away.  He waits a minute to make sure there’s no aftershocks.  He pulls away far enough to put his hand on your cheek and so he can look you over.   His other hand is quickly rubbing over your arm and your legs to make sure you’re not hurt anywhere.   You’re okay, just like he said you were because he made sure of it.

There wasn’t any major damage to the club, just broken bottles of liquor and some broken tables and chairs.   Joe apologized to you because he had to leave.  He knew he was probably needed back at the station because of this because who knew if everyone made it out as lucky as you guys did.

 

\--

 

All the employees stayed later than usual to help clean up the mess from the quake.  You’re now sitting in a 24 hour diner, sipping a hot cup of coffee and picking at a plate of fries.  

 

“Mind if I join you?” You look up to see Joe standing there, his hat in his hands. 

 

“Not at all.”  He takes a seat across from you in the booth and orders a coffee from the waitress who came over.

 

You push the plate of fries towards him, “Have some.  There’s no way I can finish these.”

 

He takes one and pops it in his mouth, “Thanks,” he says quick between chews.  He motions to the suitcase you have sitting next to you.

 

“Going somewhere?”  He brushes his hands together to rid them of salt as he leans back a little.

 

You glance at your bag and look at him, redness creeping onto your face, “Not really.”

 

Two creases show up between his eyebrows as he gives you a questioning look.

 

You sigh and run your hand through your hair in nervousness, “I, uh, got evicted a couple weeks ago.  This is just all my stuff.”

 

He leans forward at that, elbows on the table, “Tell me you found somewhere to stay since.”

 

You shake your head, “I’m alright though.  Got places like this,” you gesture to the diner, “and I head to work early to get some sleep before my shifts.”

 

The waitress drops off his coffee, he gives her a quick nod with a smile before turning back to you, “I gotta say, I always figured you guys made out working there.  With the tips and everything.”

 

You give a small smile, “Yeah well.  When you’re splitting them with everyone who works there, the amount your left with isn’t so great.” 

 

He looks a little annoyed at that information, but he doesn’t say anything.  You keep your hands on your own cup of coffee, staring at the liquid inside.

 

“Stay with me.”  

 

You look at him, not sure you heard him right, “What?”

 

He sips his coffee, “Come stay with me.  Until you find a place.  I’m not going to be able to leave you here anyway knowing you got nowhere to go.”

“I couldn’t ask you to do that.  Especially after you just saved my life. You’ve done enough.”

 

He gives you an amused smile, “You’re not asking me, I’m offering.”

 

You just look at him, thinking it over.

 

“Don’t make me arrest you for loitering.” He raises an eyebrow as he hides his smirk behind sipping his coffee.

 

“You wouldn’t!” You laugh.

 

“If you give me no other options, I might consider it.” He still has that teasing smirk on his face and you sort of love it.

 

You both stare at each other before you sigh, “The second I annoy you, promise me you’ll kick me out.  I don’t want you to end up hating me because of this.”

 

“Not possible.” 

 

\--

 

He insists on carrying your suitcase up the stairs and into his apartment.  It’s a decent size, a little bare but you’re not surprised since he is a bachelor after all.

 

“You’re taking the bed and I don’t want to hear any arguments about it.” 

 

“But…” You turn to him and he cuts you off.

 

“Just can’t help yourself, huh?” He grins.

 

“Joe, you’re doing way too much as it is.  I can’t put you out like that.” 

 

“I slept in a foxhole in the jungle for over a year, trust me, a couch will be just fine.”   And that’s the first time he’s ever mentioned the war in any way to you.  It’s the first time he’s mentioned the war to anyone he realizes and he wonders just how things might change with you around.

 

\--

 

He smells fresh coffee and eggs.  He’s walking into the kitchen soon after and finds you standing at the stove.  He can’t help but look at the back of your bare legs and notice how cute you look wearing that flannel pajama top of his.  You had asked him if it was alright that you wear it because you were cold.  You had your nighty on underneath. 

 

He doesn’t want to risk you catching him staring so he scratches the back of his head and walks over to the coffee pot, “Morning.”

 

You look at him and he swears his heart skips a beat.  He’s always seen you at work where your hair was always done up and your makeup always perfect.  But here you are with your hair loose and tousled, your face bare of anything and he swears he’s never seen anything more perfect. 

 

The smile you give him is one he wishes he could see every morning for the rest of his life, “Hey! I hope you don’t mind I went in your fridge but I just wanted to say thank you again for letting me stay here.”  Gesturing to the breakfast you’re cooking for him.

 

He’s knocked out of his thoughts when he feels hot liquid on his hand.  He overpoured the coffee as he got lost in his thoughts of you.  He quickly puts down the mug and pot.

 

“Oh gosh! Here,” you immediately wet a dish towel and move over to him, wiping his hand and holding the cold towel around it. 

 

“Not a morning person?” You smirk. 

 

He’s woken up early every day of his life.  He’s never overpoured his coffee before.

 

He gives a quick grin, “Something like that.”

 

You unwrap his hand and wipe it one more time, “I think we got it before it could really burn you.” 

 

We?  Why does he love that so much?

 

“Thank you.” He says as he takes the towel from you and wipes the counter, “So, uh, what do we got going here?”  He looks at the pan you have cooking.

 

We? Why do you love that so much?

 

“Scrambled eggs,” you look at him, “you don’t have much else.  What do you usually eat in the morning?”

 

He holds his coffee mug up for a second, indicating that was all he usually had.

 

You shake your head and giggle.  You plate the eggs and put the two plates down on the table.  He pours you a cup of coffee and sits down, placing your mug by your plate. 

 

You two talk about a few different things over breakfast and Joe realizes how much he doesn’t really like the silence of living alone anymore. 

 

\--

 

It’s around the sixth night of you staying at his place, when you hear mumbling coming from the living room.  You sit up and listen more closely.  You hear him moving around on the couch too.  You decide to investigate and you tiptoe into the living room.  He’s still asleep but he’s obviously having a nightmare.  You feel so bad for him because you can tell it’s about the war based on a few words you can make out.

 

You kneel next to the couch and put a hand on his chest slowly, he keeps moving around, heading rolling from side to side. 

 

“Joe, wake up.” 

 

Nothing changes.  You figure he can’t truly hear you.  You put a hand on his cheek to still him and you lean close to his ear, “Joe, you’re home.  You’re at home, you’re not fighting anymore.” 

 

You move your hand from his cheek to his chest and rub gently to try to anchor him back to reality.  You keep whispering, “It’s over.  The war is over. You made it back.” 

 

You feel him stop moving followed by his hand slowly sliding into the hair at the back of your head.  His other hand covers your own that’s on his chest. You can tell by his breathing that he’s awake.  Your cheek is still against his, and you turn a little more into him so you gently brush your nose against his skin. 

 

You feel his own face move into yours as his lips brush your jaw, “Tell me I didn’t hurt you,” he whispers.

 

You pull your head back to look at him, his hand staying in your hair, “You didn’t hurt me. I promise.”

 

He closes his eyes in relief and nods.  When he looks at you again, he rubs your hand on his chest.

 

“I don’t want to leave you out here alone.  Come to your bed with me? Please?”

 

He looks at you for a few seconds before nodding his head.  You hesitantly break from his grasp and stand up as he does the same.  You take his hand and walk to his bedroom.   You both crawl in under the covers.

 

Joe lays on his back.  With a frustrated sigh, he runs his hand over his face.  You’re curled up on your side, facing him with your arm tucked under your head.  You reach down and slide your hand into his.  He immediately grips your hand gently before turning his head to look at you. 

 

Like he had reassured you in the club that night, you whisper to him, “You’re okay.”

 

He brings your hand to his mouth and kisses your skin. 

 

\--

 

You two found each other during the night. 

 

Joe is pressed against your back.  You’re snuggled between his chest and his arm which you’re hugging against your own chest while your other hand is laced with his. 

 

When you open your eyes and it registers how you two are situated you wonder if you’re making him uncomfortable, but you also don’t want to wake him up by just moving.

 

“Joe?” you whisper.

 

You feel him bury his face a little closer into your hair, “Yeah?” his voice is gravelly from sleep.

 

You’re a little nervous that he’s awake.  You two haven’t been this close since he shielded you with his body.

 

“Do you need to move?”  You figure his arm is asleep or he’s only staying where he is for your sake.

 

“Only if you want me to,” was not the answer you were expecting.  You definitely do not want him to move, you feel very comfortable with him and being in his arms is now officially one of your top favorite feelings. 

 

“Nope,” and you rest your lips against his bicep.  You’re pretty sure he kisses your head after that. 

 

“Thank you…for helping me last night.”

 

You kiss him where your mouth rests before lifting your head so he can hear you, “You never have to thank me for that.” 

 

You two stay in a comfortable silence after that for at least another hour.  Eventually the alarm goes off and Joe has to get up for work. 

 

You let his arm go and as he slowly gets up, you roll onto your back where he just was.  He looks down at you and he reaches out, lightly brushing his thumb against your cheek before heading into the bathroom to shower. 

 

You head into the kitchen and make a fresh pot of coffee for him.  You forced him to go food shopping with you the other day so he actually had food in his fridge.  You make him some eggs and bacon too which is ready just as he gets out of the shower.   He smells the food and decides to throw his sweatpants back on so he can eat without worrying about spilling on his shirt.

 

As you’re plating the food, you feel the gentlest of tugs on your hair to get your attention and you smirk as you turn your face to the side to look at him.  He tenderly grasps your chin and kisses your cheek. 

 

After breakfast, you head into the bathroom to shower and get dressed.  Joe stays in the bedroom as he gets ready for work.  You walk out in a dress, your hair and makeup still needed to be done.  Joe is sitting on the edge of the bed, tying his tie in the mirror. 

 

“What do you have planned for today?” He asks while glancing at you in the mirror. 

 

“I have an appointment with a realtor to look at an apartment.  Hopefully it all works out and I’ll be out of your hair soon.” 

 

He tightens the knot of his tie but stays sitting as he looks at you in the mirror without you realizing it.  He finally stands up and walks over to you.  You just finish your eye makeup when you notice him standing next to you.

 

“I want you to stay.”

 

You turn to face him slowly, “Permanently?”

 

He nods, “Yes,” he brushes his hand through your hair gently, “I don’t want you to leave. I want you to stay here, with me.   You make every day better than the last.” 

 

You blush and grip the end of his tie gently.  As you look at him and go to speak, his hands are on your face and his soft lips are on yours.  Your hands come up and grip his forearms as his lips move so sweetly and softly against your own.  

 

He pulls away slowly and you look at him, “If I stay, you promise to kiss me like that every day?”

 

He smiles big, “Even more than that,” and to prove his point he kisses you again.


	5. Christmas Surprise

He leans into the window of the cab and hands the driver a couple of bills, courtesy of the United States military.  As the cabbie drives off, Joe slings his duffel over his shoulder and looks up at his apartment windows.  The living room is dark.  Not one single Christmas decoration or light visible.  He shifts his eyes over to the windows of the bedroom and sees the lights on there.  He smiles to himself, you’re still awake.

 

He slowly climbs the stairs, careful to not bound up them two at a time like he usually would have done.  It’s late and he doesn’t want to wake up the neighbors, he also doesn’t want you to hear him.  He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t a little nervous to see you.  It’s been a long time and what if somehow your marriage didn’t last the test of time. He shakes his head at the thought, chastises himself for being so ridiculous.  He loves you and he knows you love him.  You said so at the end of every letter you sent to him. 

 

He gets to the top of the stairs and walks the short distance to the apartment door.  As he lifts his hand to knock, he hears the soft sound of music playing.  He turns his head and slowly leans in, ear against the wood. 

 

_I'm dreaming of a white Christmas. Just like the ones I used to know_

One of your favorite Christmas songs.  You always wished there’d be a Christmas miracle and it would snow in Los Angeles so you loved to sing this song.  And then he hears you doing just that.  He places his palm on the door and pushes his ear against it even more.  Your sweet melodic voice is singing right along with Bing Crosby.  Joe smiles and closes his eyes.  He turns his face to rest his forehead against the wood. 

 

He’s finally come home to you.  His wife.

 

\--

 

You’re sitting at your vanity, brushing your hair out before bed.  You’re dressed in a silk nightie and a robe.  Christmas is a few weeks away and although it’s one of your favorite holidays, you can’t bring yourself to decorate.  What’s the point of enjoying a holiday without your husband with you? Without even knowing if he’s safe or even alive?  It just doesn’t seem like there’s much worth celebrating. 

 

The apartment has been too quiet since Joe’s left so you turn the radio on low to fill the space with something.  You can’t help but laugh quietly to yourself when ‘White Christmas’ is the song that’s playing.  The universe pushing you to rethink not celebrating Christmas you guess.  You continue brushing your hair and can’t stop yourself from singing along. 

 

You hear a few quick knocks on your door and you put your brush down.  Looking at the clock on the night stand, you see it’s pretty late for anyone to be coming by.  You stare at the door from the bedroom doorway when a few more knocks are heard again.  You tighten your robe and walk to the radio, turning it off. 

 

\--

 

He hears the radio get turned off and his heart is pounding.  It’s been so long since he’s seen you, held you, kissed you.  He’s still nervous, but he’s also so excited.

He sees from under the door the living room light come on and then he sees a shadow fall in the middle.  You’re right there.  The only thing separating you two now is a 5 inch thick slab of wood.  He knows you’re probably looking through the peephole and all you’re seeing is the top of a man’s head so he looks up. 

 

He swears he hears you give a little gasp. 

 

He hears the lock on the doorknob and the chain lock get feverishly unlocked before the door is pulled open and there you are. 

 

\--

 

You look through the peephole and all you’re seeing is dark hair as someone is looking down.  You start to panic that this may end up being a robbery of some sort but as the man’s face comes into view, so does a veil of tears as they instantly cloud your sight. 

 

It can’t be. 

 

You gasp at the sight of your husband’s face coming into view.  You quickly step back and unlock the door and chain, swinging the door open. 

 

\--

 

He opens his arms with a huge smile, “Come here, beautiful.”

 

You’re already crying as you practically jump into him, arms clinging around his neck.  You’re off the ground, being held up by his arm wrapped around your waist as he walks forward with you.  He shuts the door behind him and lets his duffel slide from his shoulder before wrapping his other arm around you, hand on the back of your head.  You just cry into his neck as he reassuringly shushes you, petting the back of your head gently. 

 

When he feels you lift your head, he lets you slowly slide down his chest so you’re back on the ground, “Baby, let me see you.” 

 

You grip the sides of his uniform jacket as you look at him, his hands instantly on your face and wiping your tears away. 

 

He moves his thumb across your bottom lip as a smile spreads on your face.  You both take a second to really look at one another.  His eyes trailing over all your delicate, gorgeous features.  Yours looking over his rugged, handsome ones. 

 

As he leans in to you, your hands move to his face to almost pull him towards you faster.  He chuckles as he feels you give a little bounce in excitement.  

 

The feeling of your lips against his fills him with a warmth he hasn’t felt since he last saw you before he left to go to war.  A feeling that felt foreign for too long, but instantly fits back into place. 

 

You both slowly pull away, foreheads finding each other.  You wipe a few stray tears from his cheeks as you kiss him again.  His arm wraps around you and his hand grabs your thigh, lifting you up.   Walking you into the bedroom, he takes a seat at the edge of the bed, lips never leaving yours. 

 

You pull away slowly, now straddling his lap, and grasp his face. 

 

“Oh, Joe. I missed you more than words can even begin to describe.”  You press a kiss to the bridge of his nose, each cheek, and his cupid’s bow.  His cheeks move under your palms as he smiles. 

 

“I love you so much, baby. So goddamn much.”  He brushes a hand sweetly through your hair, his fingers brushing along your jaw. 

 

“I love you too.  With all my heart.”  You keep caressing his face lovingly and he loves every second of it.  How he dreamt of your hands touching his face, your lips kissing his, and your body next to his.  Over there, he’d have given anything to hold you one more time, to kiss you one more time. 

 

He tenderly takes your chin in his hand and pulls you in for another kiss.  You undo the buttons on his jacket as his lips move more passionately.  You push the jacket over his broad shoulders and rid him of it.   His hands undo the knot of your robe and he follows your actions of letting it fall to the floor after pushing it off your shoulders. 

 

You take off what you can of his before you stand up to let him take his pants off.   You let him pull your nightie off and slide your underwear down, a gift of sorts for him to unwrap.   You watch as his eyes light up at the sight of your body.  He slowly drops to his knees to run his hands up and down your legs, his lips brushing along your stomach.  When he stands back up, he picks you up and gently lays you out on the bed before moving on top of you. 

 

His lips don’t miss an inch of your skin.  He already waited a long time to see you like this again, he can wait a little longer if it means savoring this moment.  He kisses every part of you and cherishes every part of you.  You lose your breath several times from just his caresses.  His fingers move along your body like you’re the most precious thing in the world, and to him you absolutely are. 

 

He makes love to you slow and passionate.  He proves that no matter what he went through overseas he still hasn’t forgotten what makes your toes curl or what makes you gasp as you dig your nails into his skin. 

 

Afterwards, you lay facing one another.  He holds you against his chest, fingers brushing your skin.  Your hand is on his face, kisses being shared every few minutes. 

 

Neither of you fall asleep that night.  You both stay up talking and making love until the sun rises. 

 

You giggle into your shoulder as you lay on your stomach watching Joe, who’s hovering over you, placing soft kisses all along your backside.  When he works his way back up to you, he kisses your shoulder.  You turn over and wrap your arms around his neck pulling him flush against your chest, kissing him slowly. 

 

When you both break apart, he smooths his hand over your hair and presses a quick kiss to your lips. 

 

“Notice you didn’t decorate for Christmas.” 

 

“It wasn’t the same without you.  What Christmas cheer could I have?”  You run a fingertip down his nose before tracing the corner of his mouth.  His heart aches at your words but he knows if you weren’t around for some reason, he’d feel the exact same way. 

 

“How about we get ourselves a tree tomorrow? Your strong, muscled husband is home now to carry it up the stairs.”  He smiles as you giggle. 

 

You give an affirmative hum as he kisses you sweetly, “Any mistletoe?” you tease.

 

He raises an eyebrow as he kisses your neck, “Not that I need a reason to kiss you, but yes. One for every doorway.” 

 

You hug him tighter as you laugh, his own smile being felt against your skin in response. 

 

He moves his lips along your jaw before pulling back to look at you.  He sees your eyes get glossy with tears.  You close your eyes as he presses a kiss under each one before asking, “Hey, what’s got you sweetheart?”

 

You smile and give a small shake of your head, “Nothing. I’m just so happy you’re finally home.”

 

He smiles as he kisses you softly, “Nowhere else I’d rather be than here with you.”


	6. Hectic Morning

It’s been about 15 minutes, you guess, that you’ve been awake but you’ve kept your eyes closed. You just weren't ready to get up yet even though Joe had gotten up already.  

 

The sheets by your feet get moved aside and his warm hand wraps around your ankle. You start to smirk. He gently pulls you and you feel yourself slide about an inch down, towards the end of the bed. You open your eyes and giggle as you stay on your side and look at him. 

 

“Joe!” you jokingly scold. 

 

He smiles and leans onto the foot of the bed. As he crawls over you, you turn onto your back to look up at him as his face comes into view over yours. 

 

“Wore you out last night, huh?” He smirks. 

 

The blush creeps onto your cheeks, “It’s possible.” 

He has such a look of pride that you can’t help but laugh, “Also my thigh is sore.”  

 

Joe shifts his knee and pulls the sheets back, away from your nude body, “Let me take a look.” 

 

You both look and there’s a couple hickies on your inner left thigh that you didn’t realize, in the moment, that he left behind. 

 

“Look what you did.” You tease him. 

 

He leans down and places a kiss on each one, “So sorry, baby,” and he winks. 

 

You run your hand through his hair as he moves back up and kisses you softly. 

 

“I’m cooking breakfast, you hungry?” He kisses you again, hand running down your side and gripping your thigh. 

 

He gently moves your thigh up so your leg bends at the knee, and he holds it against his hip. 

 

The only thing between you is the fabric of his pants. 

 

You give a little nod into the kiss as you wrap your arms around his neck. With your other leg, you caress the back of his calf with your foot. 

 

Joe starts kissing your neck. As you turn your face from his actions you catch the time on bedside clock. 

 

You place your hand on his broad shoulder, “Joe, we don’t have time.” 

 

He grumbles something against your skin and nips gently getting a giggle out of you. 

 

You smile and gently push him up and away as you move your neck away from him. 

 

“Fine, but you’re mine later,” he kisses you. 

 

“I better be,” you pull him in for one more kiss. 

 

He stands up, “I’ll do breakfast while you shower.” 

Joe’s good like that. He never leaves everything to you to do like a lot of men do with their women; he insists on helping out when he can. 

 

He walks out of the room and you can’t help but roll onto your stomach and snuggle into the bed again. 

 

Not two minutes later, Joe comes back in. He walks to your side and slides his arms under you, “Sweetheart, we don’t have time. Remember?”, he lifts you up and nips your butt gently before placing you on your feet. 

 

Slapping his arm playfully after he puts you down, you laugh and start walking towards the bathroom. His arm wraps around you from behind and pulls you backwards gently. He kisses the back of your head before letting you go and sharing a smile with you as you walk into the bathroom. 

 

You shower quick and dry your hair. Throwing on your silk robe, you walk into the kitchen where Joe is sitting, reading the newspaper. As you pass behind him, you lean down and kiss his head. 

 

He just put the food and coffee on the table and waited for you before he started eating. He folds the newspaper back up and places it on the table as he digs into his eggs.  As you do every morning, you lift your feet up into his lap under the table, his hand instantly gripping your ankles. He rubs your skin gently as you both eat and talk. 

 

He shares the latest on the mobsters they’re looking into and what the papers are reporting. You tell him some gossip from the girls at work, and your handsome Joe actually listens with interest. Your stories are just as important as his. 

 

Time is running short so the dishes from breakfast get put in the sink to be washed later. 

 

On mornings like this, where you’re both rushing around, you help each other.  You grab his tie from the drawer, handing it to him. He grabs the heels he knows you wear with that dress, handing them to you. 

 

Quickly, you do your hair in an easy do, sticking the bobby pins in. He looks at you in the mirror, where he’s doing his tie, because he loves watching you get ready. 

 

He quickly fastens his watch and sticks his badge on his belt. As he sits on the edge of the bed, bending down to tie his shoes, you admire his broad back, the way his white shirt pulls tight as he bends. And those shoulder holsters don’t hurt the image at all. 

 

When he stands up, he catches you staring, “Shoulder holsters?” 

 

Your mouth falls open slightly and you feel hot, “How…?” 

 

Walking over, he kisses your temple, “I am a Detective you know.” 

 

“Well, for your information, I was also admiring the man.” 

 

His hand cups your cheek, “I hope so”, he kisses you softly. 

 

He pulls away to look at you, a smile on his face, then kisses you again. 

 

“Lunch later?” 

 

“You won’t be too busy?” You put your lipstick on. 

 

“Never too busy for you.” 

 

With a smile, you agree to meet him for lunch. 

 

He goes to leave, kissing you one more time. You grab his wrist as he goes to walk to the door. He turns back to you and smiles at you giggling, “What?” 

 

You brush your thumb over his lips where he got some lipstick on him, rubbing it off, “There you go.”

He kisses your forehead, “Love you.” 

 

You grab his tie gently to hold him close, “Love you too.” 

 

\--

 

At lunchtime, you take the trolley to his station house. As you step off the elevator, you can hear a woman pleading with someone to help her get out of the charges she’s facing. 

 

“You’re really going to charge  _ me _ with a crime?” The woman says. 

 

“When you get caught stealing from a store, yeah you’re getting charged.” 

 

That’s Joe’s voice.  You smile to yourself and walk to the doorway where you see a woman sitting in a chair, with Joe standing in front of her, hands in his pockets.  

 

“Come on handsome, I’m sure we could work something out.” And you watch as her foot slowly moves forward just barely gliding up his pant leg before he quickly steps back from her. He looks down at his pant leg, then at the woman, “You want me to add a bribery charge?” 

 

“It can’t be bribery, unless you accept.” She licks her lips and smiles at him. 

 

Joe’s bored facial expression never changes, “Actually you’re wrong. See that’s why you’re sitting in the chair and I’m the one with the badge.” 

You smile at his clear disinterest at this woman’s advances and also at how good he is at his job. 

 

He takes a seat and starts filling out paperwork as the woman, seated next to the desk, leans her arms on the side, pushing her chest out. 

 

“Come on Detective, I don’t bite...unless you want me to.” 

 

Joe lifts his head up and looks at her. You watch with amusement as he then flips his pencil around and uses the eraser to push against her arms until she sits back in the chair. The woman clearly is annoyed. 

 

You decide to let him know you’re here and you walk to the doorway of the office and knock lightly on the glass of the opened door. 

 

Joe looks up and the biggest smile appears. You give a little wave, ignoring the woman who looked to see who it was too. 

 

He glances at his watch and gives you a signal to give him one minute. You nod and walk back to the lobby. A couple minutes later, Joe appears putting on his hat as he walks towards you. When the elevator opens, he puts his hand on your lower back and guides you inside. 

 

He leans against the wall inside and wraps his arms around your waist, pulling you against him. 

 

You can’t help yourself, “She know that you’re the one who likes to do the biting?” 

 

His surprised expression makes you laugh. And just as fast, his expression turns smug, “Now baby, you know you’re the only one who gets to know that,” he kisses you. 

 

\--

 

You got home before Joe that night; he called to say he’d be home late due to a case they were working on. You washed the dishes from breakfast, had made dinner, ate, and put the leftovers in the fridge for Joe. 

 

By the time he got home, you were sitting up in bed reading a magazine. He entered the bedroom and immediately walked over to you. You put the magazine down and look up at him as he gently grasps your chin and leans down kissing you. You smile and watch as he walks back to his side and starts undressing. 

 

Every few seconds, you look up to watch him; watching a sexy man undress is never a bad thing. 

 

When he’s down to his underwear he walks into the bathroom, out of sight. You can tell he’s brushing his teeth from the sounds. As you get engrossed in the article you’re reading, you never even realized he back into the room until the magazine is being pulled from your hands and Joe’s smirking face comes into view. 

 

He drops the magazine to the floor and as he moves over you, you smile and slide down so you’re on your back, hands gripping his lower back. 

 

He smiles down at you, lovingly smoothing your hair back, “Told you you’d be mine later.” 

 

“I’m yours every day.” You smile and lean up kissing him. 

 

“That’s why I’m a lucky guy.” 

 

You cup his cheek and smooth your thumb over his stubble, “I love you.” 

 

He turns to kiss your palm quick, before his lips whisper against yours, “I love you too”, him kissing you. 

 

As the night goes on, you two make love a couple of times before sleep takes over you both. 

 

The next morning, you wake up before him. 

 

You’re snuggled into his chest, both of you on your sides. His one arm holding you close as his other is tucked under the pillow.  

 

It’s still early enough for him to sleep in a little so you don’t disturb him. As you lay in his embrace, you do place several light kisses around his face and trace your fingertip along his chest. As you reach his collarbone, you blush when you spot the hickey you left there. You cover your mouth to stifle a giggle as you think of it as payback for the thigh hickies he left you the previous day. 

 

It’s under an hour before Joe slowly opens his eyes. Immediately, he leans in kissing you good morning. 

 

“Wore you out last night, huh?” you smile with a laugh, repeating his words to you yesterday morning. 

 

A grin appears on his face as he kisses you again, “It’s possible”, your words from yesterday. 

 

“Well, I’m not going to apologize for leaving you this.” You tap the hickey on his chest before kissing it. 

 

As he rubs your back, he smirks, “Then let’s give you a matching one”, and in one quick movement, he leans over you, trapping you as his mouth goes to work on your collarbone. 

 

It’s not long before your giggles turn to moans. 

 

And it’s no surprise that you two have another hectic morning. 

 


	7. Extraordinary

Reaching up and standing on your tiptoes, you grab the can of string beans from the shelf and place it in your cart.  Joe would normally get the high stuff for you because he’s one of the few men you know who enjoy grocery shopping.  He came once in awhile before the war, but after the war, he always came if he wasn’t working. 

 

“Been away from you already for far too long,” was his reasoning.  You didn’t mind in the least; especially when he’d come up behind you and grab the handle of the cart, trapping you in between.  He’d either lean in, kissing your neck a few times, or you’d turn around to face him. He’d grip the handle tight, holding it still, as he backed you into it kissing you softly.  A couple times you had people clear their throats as they stood nearby, but Joe would just smile politely, “Beautiful, isn’t she?” he’d ask the stranger causing you to blush and quickly move the cart from his grasp to walk away. 

 

Unfortunately, Joe was working long hours this week so he was home taking a much needed nap before heading back into work. 

 

“Excuse me miss, are you (f/n) Teague?” 

 

You turn your head to see a couple, about your age, looking at you. The woman held a shopping basket in her hand.

 

“Married to Joe Teague?” the man asking a second question. 

 

You smile politely, unsure of where this is going, “I am. And you are?” 

 

The man shakes his head with a smile, “I’m sorry, I’m Sam Keanson, and this is my wife Katherine. Joe was my Sergeant.” 

 

A marine. 

 

“I didn’t mean to startle you, it’s just, well it seems like anytime we weren’t shootin’ Japs, Joe had your picture in his hand so we all knew your face pretty well.” 

 

Your heart aches and your cheeks feel warm. 

 

“Is he here with you?” And Sam takes a quick look around with an almost excitement. 

 

“I’m afraid not. He’s at home between shifts.” 

 

“Ah, okay. Well hey, I’m visiting Los Angeles for the week, seeing family. This is the number to my aunt’s house where I’m staying. Maybe, if he’s not busy with work, he’d like to meet up?” Sam scribbles quickly on a piece of paper handing it to you. 

 

“I’ll be sure to give it to him,” you smile taking it. 

 

“If I may, your husband is one of the bravest men I know and I couldn’t have been more proud to serve under him. All he talked about was getting home to you, but he also risked his life more than any of us, to save our lives. None of the guys in our platoon would have made it home if not for him.” 

 

A lump forms in your throat. Joe never talked about what he went through over there. Yes, he won two purple hearts and a Silver Star, but when you asked about them, he just said he promised he would tell you, but just not yet. The only real, unfortunate, glimpse you got was when he had the occasional nightmare that caused him to mimic some of his actions from the war, ones where you were an unwilling participant. Those nights are hardest, him not trusting himself to sleep next to you for the next couple of nights. Luckily, they seem to be happening less and less. 

 

Tears are brimming, but you manage a smile, “Thank you so much, Sam.” 

 

Sam nods, “My pleasure. Please tell him I said hello and, uh. Semper Fi,” and his voice almost cracks at the end and you couldn’t be more glad that they walked away because you stand in the canned food aisle discreetly wiping tears from your face. 

 

\---

 

You quietly enter the apartment, holding your one bag of groceries.  Walking into the kitchen, you put the groceries away then head back into the living room where you slip off your heels and carry them into the bedroom. 

 

Joe’s asleep on his back. One arm under his head, the other resting on his tie. His legs are stretched out with his shoes still on, but you don’t care.

 

He has just the slightest crease between his eyes. His chest slowly rises and falls, his hand moving with it. 

 

You walk over and just lightly kiss his cheek, not waking him. 

 

Coffee is a staple of any policeman’s diet, so you brew a fresh pot so he can get his fix before leaving. 

 

As you mindlessly watch the coffee drip, you get lost in what Sam told you. Tightness consumes your chest as you even attempt to imagine what Joe and those men must have been through. It’s one thing to read about it in a magazine or hear about it on the radio but to actually hear the horrors from someone who lived it, well that you can’t even begin to imagine. 

 

“Fresh coffee? You’re the best.” 

 

You turn around to find a sleepy looking Joe walking towards you. 

 

He wraps his arms around your waist and gently buries his face against your neck.  You gently scratch the back of his head and he kisses your skin in return. 

 

Lifting his head, he leans in and kisses you.  He pulls away and kisses your forehead before grabbing a mug and the coffee pot. He sticks the full mug out to you with a raise of his brow but you shake your head. 

 

He leans back against the counter and takes a sip, his other arm opening to you which you step into. 

 

You wrap an arm around his back and gently grab the end of his tie, “I ran into a Sam Keanson at the market.” 

 

Joe lowers his mug slowly, rubbing your back, “Sam’s a farm boy from Iowa, what’s he doing here?” 

 

“Visiting family. He came up to me, said he recognized me from the picture you always held,” and you give his side a little squeeze as you look at him with a soft smile. 

 

He glances down at his coffee, a smirk at his lips, his ears turning pink. When he looks at you, his eyes are soft, “You surprised?” 

 

“A little,” you give a tiny shrug before kissing his jaw. He turns slightly and places the coffee down on the counter behind him. When he turns back to you, he cups your cheek, his thumb stroking your skin. 

 

“Hey, you got me home. If I didn’t have you, I had nothing worth fighting to come back to. Made damn sure every man there knew how lucky I was, to have a woman like you waiting for me.” 

 

“Come here,” you whisper as you give his tie a little tug and meet him for a kiss. 

 

You melt a little further into him, and as the kiss ends he presses a couple more to your lips. He runs the pad of the his thumb down your cheek before wrapping his arm around your waist and pulling you in front of him. 

 

“You know how much I love you, Joe?” 

 

“Enough to marry me,” he teases with a grin. 

 

With a laugh, you look down and pinch him gently. The second you look back at him, he kisses you passionately. The laughter dies down inside of you. As you both pull away, his forehead resting against yours, noses nestled together, his lips a mere centimeter away, “I know,” he whispers sincerely, “And know I love you a hundred times more.” 

 

You slide your hands up his chest until you wrap your arms around neck.  You place a hand on the back of his head and gently pull him forward until he smiles against you, kissing you some more. 

 

When you both finally pull away, you sliding your hands back down his chest, you finish telling him about Sam. 

 

“He told me how no one would have made it home if it weren’t for you. You’re one of the bravest men he knows.” 

 

Joe keeps his eyes down, staring at the tabletop behind you as you speak. His hold on you never loosens, but it’s obvious he’s uncomfortable with the compliments. He’s always been a humble one, even when he shouldn’t be. 

 

“Whatever you did for those men, they look up to you for it. Admire you. Respect you,” you place a hand on his cheek to turn his face so he looks at you, “Why can’t you allow yourself to admit that you were one brave Marine?” 

 

“Because...there was thousands of brave Marines. There’s no reason to single myself out.” 

 

You kiss the corner of his mouth, letting your lips brush over his low stubble as you pull away.

 

“Sam is a reason. Ned is a reason. Every man in your platoon, every parent whose son came home, every woman who got her love back...they’re all reasons, Joe. Just...just allow yourself to accept that you’re an extraordinary man who deserves all the praise that comes your way.” 

 

His eyes don’t leave yours for any moment. He doesn’t smile, just knits his eyebrows together in seriousness. 

 

“I’ll never understand what the hell I did right in this world to deserve you.” 

 

“You didn’t have to do anything ‘right’, you’re just you and that’s deserving enough.” 


	8. I'm Not

After you hang up the phone, you just sit there on the edge of the bed, tears filling your eyes as you stare at the floor. 

 

The sound of Joe’s key in the door makes you start quickly wiping your tears away. You stand up, looking in the mirror to make sure your makeup isn’t smudged too bad; you don’t want him to know you’ve been crying. 

 

You hear him enter the apartment, hanging his hat and suit jacket on the coat rack before you hear his footsteps approaching. 

 

Joe sticks his hands in his pockets as he leans on the doorway of the bedroom, a grin on his face at the sight of you. You make like you’re fussing with your hair.

 

“Hey, beautiful.” 

 

You give him a quick smile as you walk towards him, you place a hand on his torso, going to walk past him when he grabs your arm gently, furrowing his brow.

 

“Hey…” he says softly causing you to glance at him before pecking his lips before continuing into the kitchen to start dinner. 

 

Joe watches you walk away. Something’s wrong. It’s not hard to tell. You’ll barely look at him and that was nowhere near the normal kiss you two usually share. 

 

He slowly follows you into the kitchen. Your back is to him, your hands on the counter in front of you. He watches as you bring your hand up to what could only be to wipe tears from your face. 

 

He makes it over to you in two strides.  He wraps an arm around your shoulders from behind, his forearm over your collarbone. He steps to the side slightly to look at you, his thumb rubbing your shoulder. 

 

When he sees your tears, he uses his other arm to touch your arm, leading you to turn around. You bury your face in his chest, his arms now wrapped around you. 

 

His breath hits you as he speaks against your ear, your crying breaking his heart, “Hey, shh, shh. What is it sweetheart?” 

 

You don’t respond and he doesn’t ask again. Instead he just holds you close; switching between resting his chin on top of your head and kissing the part of your face he can reach. 

 

After a few minutes, your crying turns to sniffles and you lift your head from his chest.  Joe dips his head a little to meet your stare. He uses the back of his finger to wipe your tears and the smudged mascara. 

 

“I haven’t been feeling right this past week. I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want you to worry,” you start explaining. And sweet Joe listens intently; his hand coming up to caress your face or to brush through your hair.

 

“I thought maybe I was pregnant so I went to the doctor yesterday at lunch, but...they just called...I’m not. I’m not pregnant.” 

 

You two have been trying for a few months now so he knows how devastating this is for you.  You’ve voiced your disappointment to him before and each time his heart breaks. 

 

His hands grasp your face, “That’s okay. We just keep trying, that’s all,” and he says it so sweetly and so calmly that you just want to hug him forever. 

 

“But we have been. What if it doesn’t happen for us? What if I can’t give you a son or a daughter?” 

 

And it hits him, it’s not only that you want to be a mother, but you also don’t want to disappoint him. 

 

Like you could ever do that. 

 

He presses a kiss to your lips, “Listen to me, it’ll happen. And in the slim chance it doesn’t, that’s okay too. I want kids with you,” another kiss to your lips, “but do not for one second think that if we don’t, that I would love you any less. You hear me?” 

 

You manage a small smile through the tears that are now caused by him. You give him a small nod. 

“I love you so much,” he rests his forehead against yours. 

 

You close your eyes briefly, a tear falling from each eye only to be wiped away by the amazing man in front of you.  You open your eyes and close the small space to kiss him, “I love you too.” 

 

“I’m cooking dinner tonight. You go lay down and I’ll let you know when it’s done.” 

 

“Will you lay with me instead?” 

 

It’s one of his soft smiles that shows up, “Of course.” 

 

As you both crawl into bed, bodies molding together, you both just enjoy the comfortable silence between you.

 

All Joe can think about is how hard he fought in the war to stay alive, to make it home to you. Even if you two grew old, alone in the middle of nowhere, that’s perfect to him. As long as he has you. 


	9. Effects of War

_ You walk up to the casket and look down at your husband. He’s dressed in his Marine uniform, cuts on his face but none that take away from his handsomeness. And you have barely held it together up to this point; and whatever thin thread you were barely holding onto gets burned away seeing him like this. Your sobs grow louder and you cry out his name as you touch his cold face.  _

 

Joe’s eyes open when he hears you quietly saying his name.  He’s got one arm tucked under the pillow, his other draped across your stomach. 

 

He gently rubs your side, whispering your name as he moves closer to you. Your face is pained and the desperate plea to your voice as you say his name leaves his chest aching.  

 

He sits up, looking down at you and moves his hand to your cheek; it's when he sees that first tear roll down your cheek that he speaks your name louder. 

 

You wake up with a start and you need a few seconds to gather your surroundings.  Every emotion in your body is reacting to saying goodbye to your dead husband. 

 

When you finally focus on Joe’s face, a quiet sob leaves you as you say his name one last time, almost as a question. 

 

Joe’s face is etched with relief but concern, “It’s me, baby. I’m right here.” 

 

You cover your face with your hands briefly and nod slowly.  When you feel him grab your shoulders and pull you up, you immediately wrap your arms around his neck and cry against his skin. 

 

His hold on you is strong, one hand rubbing your back.  

 

It’s not hard to figure out what your nightmare was about. 

 

Joe’s heart breaks; sometimes he forgets it’s not just the soldiers who have seen combat that suffer the effects of war. 


	10. My Hero

He gets hit with the smell of pine when he walks in and he immediately knows it’s been cleaning day for you. That’s the smell of the cleaner you use to wash the kitchen floor. 

 

A grin appears on his face because cleaning day also means seeing you in just his LAPD softball t shirt, your preferred cleaning attire.  

 

Walking into the bedroom, you’re dusting the dresser, your hair messily thrown up.  His eyes trail up your legs stopping at the hem of his shirt that hits a couple inches above your knees.  

 

You turn when you hear him walk into the room, “Hey you,” you smile. 

 

He loves how your cheeks always turn just the slightest pink when he smiles and walks towards you. He wraps an arm around your waist, hand on your butt, as he kisses you. 

 

When he pulls away, he notices the bathroom door closed. His arm slides off of you as he walks over and points to the door. 

 

“Hiding a guy in here?” that smirk of his on his face. 

 

You playfully roll your eyes and smile, “Yeah. I’m hiding Captain America in there,” you say sarcastically. 

 

“Had to pick a superhero. What chance do I have?”

 

You laugh and walk over to him, he wraps you up in his arms, smiling as you start undoing his tie.  

 

“You have no competition,” once you untie the knot you slowly slide his tie out from under his collar, tossing it on the bed as you kiss him. You undo the first few buttons of his shirt before sliding your hands along his chest and to his neck, “Who needs a superhero when I can have Joseph Teague - marine, detective, and sexy husband.” 

 

“You’re a real sweet talker, Mrs. Teague” he teasingly whispers as he kisses you softly.  

 

Smiling at his words as he kisses you, you feel his hands start sliding your shirt up.  You pull away and grab his hands from behind you, “Not yet, I do need your help with something first.” 

 

He laces his fingers with yours and presses a kiss to your lips, “Ah, so buttering me up first, huh?” 

 

“Maybe a little,” you tease then giggle when he playfully nips your neck. 

 

“I trapped a spider under a glass in the bathroom. That’s why the door is shut.” 

 

Joe laughs which makes you blush but laugh too. 

 

“I should have guessed,” is all he says; it’s not the first time he’s been on bug duty for you. 

 

He walks into the bathroom and kills the spider, flushing it down the toilet. 

 

When he walks back out, you smile and tease, “My hero.” 

 

Joe raises an eyebrow as he grins, “Yeah, yeah, get over here,” and he pulls you close, both of you laughing. When he puts his hand on your cheek and leans in, your laughter dies down replaced by a sweet smile.  He kisses you good, you lean into him, his arms tightening around you. 

When you pull away, you kiss the corner of his mouth softly, “My hero,” you repeat, the softness and sincerity not lost on his heart. 


	11. Letters

He was digging around under the bed, trying to find the shoebox he knew you kept that had all the articles about Joe winning those amateur boxing matches from before the war.  

 

He told you they weren’t worth keeping but you just smiled, told him how proud you were, and you’d cut the article out regardless. He grins at the memory. 

 

He thinks he finds it and pulls out the box. Taking the lid off, he finds the articles, but he also finds them sharing the box with a stack of stuffed envelopes. 

 

Abandoning his reason for finding the box in the first place, he pulls out the stack of envelopes and realizes they’re all from him. They were all the letters he sent you from overseas. In awe, he pulls a few letters out and he notices something on each one. 

 

Each letter he pulls out, where he signed his name was a smudge of red lipstick. Sometimes the full lip print, sometimes just a faint mark. 

 

You walk into the apartment and see Joe sitting on the floor, leaning against the bed, with that box by his side. 

 

You walk over and he looks up at you, “You kept them?” 

 

You nod, “All of them.” 

 

He reaches his hand up to you which you take and he gently pulls you down and onto his lap.  With his arms around you, you snuggled back against his chest, he picks up a few and shows you the lipstick on each one. 

 

“Every one?”, he asks softly, his warm breath hitting your cheek. 

 

You lightly run your fingertips over the spot on the letter he’s holding, “Every one” you confirm. 

 

He kisses you softly, whispering his love for you. 

 

When you snuggle back against him, your heart aches as he starts reading out loud. 


	12. Neighbors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The neighbors down the hall seem to have some troubles.

A distant sound of glass breaking wakes Joe.  Groggily, he opens his eyes.  He looks over at you, your hand on his chest, sound asleep next to him. Leaning over, he kisses your nose gently before settling back down, pulling you close. 

 

Just as he closes his eyes, he hears it again. He opens his eyes and lays there, waiting to hear it a third time.  Sure enough, he doesn’t have to wait long before he hears more glass breaking and now a man’s voice yelling, the words muffled by the walls. 

 

A door slamming follows and that’s what wakes you. You open your eyes to find Joe looking towards the front door, which is visible from the bedroom.  You both hear heavy footfalls as someone stalks down the hallway and down the stairs.

 

“What was that?” you ask him. 

 

He looks at you, not realizing you woke up. He runs his fingers through your hair, “Think that asshole got into it with her again.” 

 

Her, would be your neighbor Sarah and the asshole, her husband Jack; they moved in a couple months ago. Jack’s been an annoyance ever since.  He’s a drunk who enjoys berating his wife at all hours. 

 

He’s horrible at first impressions too. First time you ‘met’ him, he cornered you in the lobby of your building, asking if you saw his wife with another man recently. He reeked of gin and was too close for comfort. Fortunately Joe had come home not a minute later and forcefully yanked him back.  Not so subtle Joe told him off and made it clear that there would be problems if he went anywhere near you again.  Needless to say you both highly disliked Jack. 

 

Sarah you had tried to make small talk with when you’ve seen her in the hallway or the lobby, getting her mail. She was polite but quite obviously incredibly shy and nervous.  No doubt the result of an angry, abusive husband. You had invited her to go shopping with you or to get lunch, each time she politely declined. 

 

Every time you saw her, you made sure to look for any bruises, but you never saw any. Didn’t mean she couldn’t have been hiding some under makeup. 

 

“That poor woman,” you say as you snuggle into his chest, “There’s nothing we can do?” 

 

He rubs your back, “Unfortunately not. All we know is that he yells at her and hits the bottle. No law against that.” And you hear the disappointment in his voice. 

 

Just then you hear two light, quick knocks on your door. 

 

You both glance at each other before getting up. Joe opens the door, with you next to him.  There’s Sarah standing in a nightgown, holding her wrist up, her hand covered in blood and cuts.  

 

“Jesus,” Joe breathes just as you rush forward.

 

“Oh my god, Sarah, come in, come here.” You take her arm and lead her inside, glancing at Joe as you bring her into the kitchen. 

 

Joe grabs the first aid kit from the bathroom, bringing it into the kitchen where you and Sarah are sitting at the table, you wiping the blood from her hand. 

 

Sarah is crying, muttering apologies for coming over so late but saying she had no one else to go to. 

 

“No, don’t be sorry. We’re always here if you need us.” You reassure her. All but one cut is superficial. 

 

“You’ll need stitches in this one. Do you want us to take you to a hospital?” 

 

The panic in her eyes breaks your heart, “No! No hospitals, please. Can you just stitch it for me? I’ll pay you back somehow I promise.” 

 

You look at a Joe, your concerned expression meeting his angry one. You both then look back at Sarah. 

 

“I can do that, sure. And there’s no need to repay anyone. Okay?” 

 

She nods in response.  It’s almost eerie how she barely flinches at the pain of the needle, almost as if she’s experienced worse pain than this. 

 

“What happened? He do this to you?” Joe finally speaks, waiting until he was calm enough to do so. 

 

She shakes her head as you finish bandaging her hand. 

 

“No, it was my fault. He asked me to get a glass of water for him, but I was taking too long.  He, uh, he bumped into me and my hand smashed against the wall still holding the glass.” 

 

It’s a lie and you both clearly know that. 

 

“I heard more than one glass break.” Joe informs her.  

 

“He went to get another one but he gets butter fingers sometimes, you know?” She meekly responds. 

 

Joe sighs. You look at her, “Joe’s a Detective, if you want Jack arrested, you just say so.” 

 

Sarah glances at Joe then at you, “I can’t.” 

 

“Why not?” 

 

She starts crying a little harder, “Because I did that once before and he got out the very next day. I learned my lesson after that.”  

 

Your heart breaks as she starts sobbing into her hands.  You quickly pull her into a hug and look at Joe.   

 

He grips the back of a kitchen chair, “We won’t let him get out in a day, I promise you that.” 

 

Sarah shakes her head against your shoulder.

 

“Do you wanna stay here tonight?” you ask.

 

She sniffles and pulls back, “Thank you, but I’ll be alright. When he storms off like this he usually stays out all night.” 

 

“Are you sure?” 

 

She nods, “Yes, but thank you.” 

 

As she stands up, you do as well. You and Joe follow her back to the door where she thanks you again before leaving. 

 

You turn to Joe, “What do we do?” 

 

He pulls you into his arms and kisses your cheek. Hugging you, “I’ll talk to the boys tomorrow and figure something out.” 

 

You pull back enough to kiss him deeply.  When you both pull away, he runs his thumb across your cheekbone, “Not that I’m complaining, but what was that for?” 

 

Running a hand down his chest, “I love you. Seeing a situation like hers is just a reminder of how lucky I am to be married to a man like you.” 

 

He kisses you, “I love you too, sweetheart. But, I’m the lucky one.”  Joe scoops you up and carries you back to bed. 

 

\----

 

It’s Sunday, so you’re off but Joe doesn’t get the luxury of regular weekends so he’s at work. 

 

You’re folding laundry when you hear yelling from down the hall. You put down Joe’s shirt and walk to the front door. You open it and take a step out to look towards their apartment.  Just as you step out, Sarah comes running out and sees you. 

 

“Please! He’s trying to kill me!” 

 

Just as she reaches you, Jack runs out of the apartment towards you both. 

 

You yank Sarah inside and slam the door shut, locking it.  Pulling Sarah with you, you grab the telephone off Joe’s side table and run into the bathroom, locking it behind you, the telephone wire snaked under the door. 

 

You pull her against the furthest wall and pick up the receiver. 

 

\---

 

Joe’s looking over a case file with Eddy when Jim comes to him, “Hey Joe, your wife’s on the phone. Maybe she’s finally realized she’s too good for you,” he jokes and laughs as Joe flips him off. 

 

You’re relieved just to hear his voice - “Hey baby.” 

 

“You need to come home right now,” in a whisper.

 

By your tone, Joe straightens up, his chest feeling tight, “What’s wrong?” 

 

He can hear faint noises in the background. 

 

“We’re locked in the bathroom, he’s freaking out in the hallway.” 

 

Joe puts his hand over the mouthpiece and instructs Eddy, “I need two officers at my place now!” 

 

“I’m on my way!” He assures you when he hears you gasp, “Talk to me, what is it?!” 

 

“Joe…” he can hear the panic in your voice, “he just broke into the apartment.” 

 

\---

 

Jack rushes to the closed bathroom door, banging on it, “I know you’re in there! Sarah, get your ass out here! That nosy fuck ain’t gonna help you!” 

 

You’re trembling as you keep your eyes on the door but rifle through the medicine cabinet finding exactly what you were looking for - scissors. It’s the only time you’re glad that you need to give your husband stitches every so often from his line of work. 

 

You quickly crouch back down next to Sarah and hope that Joe gets home in time.

 

\---

 

Joe races home, even managing to beat the two cops he requested by mere seconds. As he races to the front door of the building, Sarah bolts out getting grabbed by her shoulders as she almost barrels into Joe.

 

“She saved me! She saved me!” Sarah is hysterically repeating. Joe’s eyes go wide as he lets her go and runs inside, up the stairs. He’s yelling your name. 

 

“Joe!” you’re finally able to respond. 

 

As he runs into the apartment he sees Jack yank a pair of scissors out of his bicep and move towards you with them. 

 

Police instinct is to draw your weapon to stop a threat, but when you’re also a boxer and a protective husband, your instinct is to use your own brutal force. 

 

From behind, Joe throws an arm around Jack’s neck, pulling him back and putting pressure on his windpipe. As Jack’s hand, holding the scissors, comes up to stab at whoever grabbed him, Joe uses his free hand to grab Jack’s hand and snapping his wrist back. 

 

You cringe at the sound as Jack yells in pain. The scissors fall with a clatter on the floor. 

 

Joe turns, throwing Jack face down to the ground, one knee pressing onto his back. He’s got Jack’s good arm twisted and shoved into his upper back. 

Joe only moves when the two officers run in and take over with subduing Jack. 

 

As soon as he stands up, he moves on you. You’re frozen in your spot in the kitchen, watching what Joe did, then watching as Joe moves to you, his chest coming into view as he hugs you. 

 

“Christ, you okay?!”  He pulls back to grasp your face. 

 

You nod in his hands, “Yeah. Yeah, I’m okay.” 

 

He starts rambling, so unlike himself,  “God, I thought I lost you. She came running outside, you weren’t with her. I yelled for you but you didn’t answer right away,” and you watch his worried eyes as he speaks cutting him off to crash your lips against his. 

 

His hold on you tightens immediately, a hand holding the back of your head as he kisses you back. 

 

Pulling away, foreheads resting against each other, you both take a minute to calm down. 

 

\---

 

You’re sitting on Joe’s knee in your living room as a paramedic gives you one quick stitch to what you thought was a minor cut on your cheek. 

 

Sarah was driven to the police station while Jack was arrested and taken to the local jail.  You and Joe have to head to the station too to give your statements but once the paramedic leaves, and it’s just the two of you, you both just take a few minutes to yourselves. 

 

Joe pulls you back, cuddling you into his chest.  He presses a light kiss to your injured cheek.  

 

“I’ll have it fixed by tonight.” He motions to the damaged, splintered front door that's hanging by a hinge. 

 

You nod as you rest your head on his shoulder. 

 

He kisses your forehead, resting his lips there for a minute. 

 

“I’m proud of you...for stabbing him.” He smirks against you before pulling back to look at you. 

 

You give a small smile as you meet his eyes, “Thought you might be,” you tease. 

 

Kissing you softly, “You’re one hell of a woman, you know that?” 

 

“Maybe Jim is right, maybe I am too good for you,” your smile getting bigger as you finish teasing. 

 

Joe grins, peppering your neck with kisses getting giggles out of you, “You absolutely are.” 

 


	13. Smudges

A quick glance, it looked like a crime scene. A closer look, it was the scene of something physical alright, but not a crime. 

It all started the night before. You and Joe were to meet a couple of friends for drinks. Joe got home ten minutes before you two had to leave. You were already dressed, your hair already curled slightly, as he started to change out of the clothes he just stood in for ten hours. 

After you applied your red lipstick, you took a step back from the mirror as you capped the lipstick tube. Joe pulled down the zipper of your dress slowly and slid his hands in under the shoulders, pushing the fabric forward so it fell into the crooks of your arms which were still bent holding the lipstick in front of your chest. 

He brushes your hair aside and kisses your bare shoulder. Your eyes on him in the mirror, him never even putting on a new shirt after taking off his other one, you feel your breath quicken but you still softly scold him, “Joe,” still a smile evident in your tone. 

He’s been working so much lately and you missed him just as much as he missed you. You reach your arm out and place the lipstick on the desk. 

He ignores your incredibly weak protest. His arm comes around your waist, inside the dress still hanging off you. With his mouth now moving to your neck he reaches in front of you with his other hand and takes hold of the front of the dress, pulling it off your arms. The dress falls to your feet in a pool around your ankles. 

Screw the drinks. 

Joe picked you up, knowing he won, and carried you to bed. 

The two of you are now intertwined. Legs weaved together, arms around each other. Your hand is tucked under his bicep that you’re using as a pillow; nose brushing his chest. Your other arm slung over his side, fingertips just barely caressing his back. His arm under your head is wrapped around, hand coming up to rest on your hip. His other arm against your shoulder, hand slid into your hair at the back of your head. His chin brushing your hairline. 

Both of you sound asleep until the shrill of the alarm. It’s a Saturday for you, but a work day for him. 

You groan and press further into him, every bit of you snuggled against his warm, nude body. Opening his eyes just the smallest amount, he takes his hand out of your hair and leans back, reaching back for the alarm on his nightstand and shutting it off. 

He closes his eyes when he brings his arm back and smirks when you make a complaining hum before grabbing his hand and putting it back near where it was. Obliging, he snakes his hand back into your hair then kisses your forehead. 

A kiss to his chest lets him know he put it back where you wanted. 

With no sense of urgency you murmur against his skin, “You have to work today.” 

With the same tone, “I know.” 

You bring your hand up to blindly pet his stubble, then smile against his chest when he playfully nips your palm. You finally open your eyes and cup his jaw as you tilt your head back slightly to start kissing his chin, then his neck. He smiles and gives a throaty groan of approval. As you push his shoulder back, he gets the hint and rolls onto his back as you move to straddle him, lips never leaving his skin. 

His hands rub your thighs on either side of his hips and then move up to slide up the sides of your body, never opening his eyes. Too busy enjoying the feeling of you and too tired to fully wake up just yet. 

You sit up, planning to kiss him properly, when you finally get a good look at him. He hears you gasp then start laughing. Opening his eyes, he sees you for the first time and starts chuckling.

Joe’s face and body are covered in both red lip prints and red smudges. His lips with a faint trace of red along the edges of his mouth. 

Your own body is covered with red smudges from all the contact your skin had with his from the night before. Your own lips smudged red from that damning lipstick. 

After both looking at your own bodies, then back at each other, you both look at the sheets to see the same marks. 

“Oh my god!” you can’t stop laughing. 

He smiles at your laugh, but laughs with you at the bed that now looks resemblance of a crime scene of sorts. 

“I’m so sorry, baby, I marked you all up,” you grasp his face giggling as you lean down and kiss him. 

His hands slide up your back as he pulls you down into the kiss more. When you pull back, you wipe the faint lipstick from his mouth as he grins, “Won’t hear me complaining.” 

“You look so cute covered in kisses,” you laugh as you kiss him again. 

“You look sexy as hell all smudged like that,” he cups your cheek and sweeps his thumb across your lips, “Only you could pull that off.” 

Playfully you roll your eyes, “Probably because you know it was your doing,” your hands smoothing over his chest, “Kissing me like you never tasted something so sweet before,” you wink with a smile. 

The only warning you got was the quick display of his knowing grin before he swiftly flipped you onto your back with him over you, “Been tasting you for a long time,” and between kisses to your chest, “Sweet...every...single...time." As his face comes into view, you slide your hands over his shoulders then wrap your arms around his neck. You cradle the back of his head when he leans down, his lips on yours. 

“Stay home with me today?” you pull away to quietly ask against his lips. 

He looks at you for a few seconds, hands rubbing your sides. Then those lips of his move into a grin, “Well someone’s gotta clean you up.”


	14. Out of the Rain

Your giggles float back to him as he smiles behind you. Running into your building, you lower his trenchcoat that he had given you to hold over your head despite you getting drenched so quickly.  He’s soaked himself, including the hat on his head. 

 

You hug the coat to your body as you grab his neck and pull him down for a kiss. He smiles into it briefly before pushing you against the wall of the lobby, hand cupping your wet face as he deepens the kiss. 

 

You laugh as you slip slightly from your wet heels, his arm tightening around you to keep you upright. 

 

He lifts you into his arms as he starts walking up the stairs to the apartment you two share. The kissing only stops when he finds himself needing to glance down to make sure he doesn’t send you both tumbling down by missing a step. 

 

He puts you down when he makes it to your floor and pulls you back against his chest as you both walk connected to the apartment door. You dig around in your purse for the key, your head leaned back against his shoulder as he kisses your neck. 

 

“Gotta warm you up, sweetheart. You’re shaking.” 

 

You didn’t even notice, nor know if it’s from being soaked to the bone or from his touches. 

 

You feel the key and unlock the door as you both walk in.  Right away, you’re both peeling off your wet clothes while grabbing for each other to steal kisses in between. 

 

Once you’re down to your underwear he pulls you into his arms, hand running over your damp hair before kissing you. 

 

Despite being wet, he still feels warm so you snuggle into his chest. He rubs your back to warm you up quicker. 

 

“Stay right here,” he kisses your cheek and walks into the bathroom. 

 

While he’s gone, you strip off your bra and underwear that’s wet and basically see through. Joe walks back out with a fluffy towel but finds himself stopping in his tracks at the sight of you. 

 

It’s by no means the first time he’s seen you naked. But each time never ceases to make him stop and appreciate the beautiful sight.  Those pink cheeks of yours, damp hair and skin, and that shy smile of yours that you always have when he does look at you like this. 

 

He grins and continues over to you, swinging the towel around your shoulders and wrapping it around you. Your hands move over his that are still holding the edges and you can’t stop smiling at eachother, at how in love you are with each other. 

 

A short tug on the towel to bring you those last couple inches closer, he then wraps his arms around you, pulling you to the side a bit to have the back of your head tucked against his bicep. He kisses you. 

 

“Think I still need to warm you up,” he smirks before kissing you again. 

 

Holding the towel with one hand, you use the other to slip your fingers into the waistband of his boxers, “Yes, you do.” 


	15. Beach Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tried to come up with a new setting other than an apartment or Bunny's haha. This is the result.

The beauty of living in Los Angeles are the numerous beaches.  If one is packed, you just drive down the road to the next one. 

 

You’re spending the day at the beach with Joe, some of his co-workers, and their ladies.

 

Currently, you’re sitting between Joe’s legs as he rubs sunscreen on your back.  You’re hugging your knees to your chest as you feel his hands slide under the strap of your bikini top. Smiling to yourself, you turn your head, chin pressing against your shoulder. 

 

Joe leans forward kissing your head before finishing your lower back. His hands rest at your waist and slide forward slowly and then you laugh as he quickly wraps his arms around you, pulling you back, flush against him as he kisses your shoulder. 

 

“Joe! Football?” Tom shouts from a few feet away, pounding a football into his open hand as the other guys start congregating around him. 

 

Joe moves onto one knee when you tip your head back to look at him.  He smiles, placing a hand on your neck and leans down to press a kiss to your lips before standing up. 

 

Blushing you move your head back down and watch as he joins the guys. His back and shoulders are so broad; then you spot two small lines near his shoulder and you feel like you turn bright red. You did that to him last night, or he made you do it, however you want to look at it. You just hope no one else notices enough to ask.

 

The ladies all lay back, sunbathing and chatting as the men play football more near the water. 

 

At some point, you turn over to get a tan on your back. Sunglasses on, you close your eyes but continue in the conversation. Soon enough the girls break off into mini conversations here and there. You hear the two women you’re talking to start giggling quietly. Before you can ask, you notice a shadow fall over you.  When you open your eyes and push your sunglasses up, you see a group of men standing in front of you, smiling. 

 

Some of the ladies can’t help but innocently flirt back, while you and the others just give them a quick smile.  The guys are far enough away that you don’t hear them notice. 

 

“Hey fellas! Looks like we got a problem,” Eddy stops running with the ball and motions to you ladies. 

 

Joe turns his head and can’t help but smirk when he sees your disinterested expression. He can’t blame a guy for trying with you, he may be biased because you’re his wife, but you’re absolutely gorgeous. 

 

“Hey Tommy, you may have some competition. Sally’s looking pretty chummy with that one on the right,” Paul laughs. 

 

Tom doesn’t find it amusing. He’s only been dating her a few months.  He starts heading towards you all when Joe puts a hand on his chest stopping him. 

 

Most of the guys are laughing about it, that is until a couple of the guys take a seat next to some of you on your towels.  One happens to be next to you. Joe finds his own humor at the situation slip away when he sees how uncomfortable you are from it. 

 

The guys finally walk over, Tommy immediately talking to that guy on the right while Joe looks down at the guy sitting between you and Paul’s wife. 

 

“It’d be in your best interest to get up and walk away with your friends here,” Joe says calmly. 

 

The guy squints as he looks up at Joe, the sun beating in his face, “Thanks for the heads up, buddy,” the guy says dismissively. 

 

Joe crouches down in front of him, “I’m giving you the courtesy of a warning. You see, that’s my wife you’re bothering. So if you don’t get up in the next three seconds I’ll show you why you wished you had.” 

 

And it’s hard to miss Joe’s muscular biceps when he’s resting his elbows on his knees, hands hanging slightly.  As the guy quickly stands up, Joe stands in unison, eyes never leaving his.  Joe even takes a step towards him, getting just a little more in his face.  The guy’s friends were also told off, by Joe’s buddies, because the whole group of them walk off together grumbling. 

 

The guys abandon the football game as each man sits with their lady. Sally walks away yelling at Tom who's following her. 

 

Joe lays down on your towel, a hand behind his head.  You grab his aviator sunglasses from your bag and put them on him so he doesn’t have to squint.  Then you kiss him, feeling him smile.  His hand slides up your back, his thumb rubbing.  You pull away, laying down next to him just as he props himself on his elbow and cups your cheek, leaning down to kiss you again. You grasp his bicep and deepen the kiss. 

 

He pulls away slowly, nuzzling your nose with his own briefly before pressing several quick kisses to your lips.  You slide your hand up his bicep, over his shoulder, until your arm is hooked around his neck.  He smirks and kisses you softly. And for the next few minutes, it's only you two in the world.

 

Joe pulls away quickly causing you to look at what he’s turned his head to see. Eddy nudged Joe’s leg with a laugh, “Uh, when you two need some air, you wanna play volleyball?” 

 

Blushing, you hide your face against Joe’s arm. 

 

“Yeah, we’re coming,” Joe says before he turns back to look down at you. He smiles at your embarrassment, kissing your cheek before standing up, putting his hands out to you. You slip your hands into his and he pulls you up.  

 

Each team consists of couples, so you and Joe are on the same team, with the exception of Tom and Sally who were still fighting. 

 

A few of you ladies get into it, doing what you can to get the ball.  And it was a nice sight seeing the guys dive to hit it. Joe’s body was made for watching. 

 

Finally it got down to the end, next point wins the game. It was already decided that the losers have to buy a few rounds at Bunny’s the next time you all go. 

 

The ball comes over the net and Mike sets the ball for you. It’s a little too high you think but before you know it Joe’s gripped your waist and lifts you up, “Go on! Get ‘em Teague!” he cheers you on. 

 

You spike the ball, the other team misses it, and your team wins! 

 

Joe puts you on his shoulder as you all cheer. 

 

\---

 

It’s dark and chilly now. A few of the men just got the bonfire lit.  You’re shivering a little, wrapped in a towel when Joe takes it away from you. He tells you ‘arms up’, and puts his sweatshirt on you.  You tuck your hands inside the sleeves and kiss him in thanks. 

 

Everyone settles around the fire. You’re sitting between Joe’s legs, your back pressed against his chest.  His arms are wrapped around you and his lips are on your neck periodically. 

 

You smile when you see that Sally is snuggled in Tom’s lap, happy to see they’re not fighting anymore. 

 

It starts off with everyone talking, but slowly each couple drops out of the conversation to focus on each other, you and Joe included.  

 

Just like earlier, you get lost in each other. He can’t tear his eyes away from you and the kisses never stop.  

 


	16. "It's about the disrespect"

Joe comes home to your laughter which makes him smile. He hangs up his coat and hat before following your laugh. 

 

He walks into the kitchen and his smile falters a bit. There’s Ned sitting at the table, a cup of coffee in front of him, a smile on his face as he finishes his story.  

 

You feel a hand on your shoulder and look up to see Joe who leans down kissing you softly. 

 

“Hey, baby. Ned stopped by to talk to you,” you stand up and wrap your arms around his neck, “was just sharing some of the trouble you two caused with your fellow soldiers,” a smile on your face. 

 

Joe gives you a soft grin, wrapping an arm around your waist. Brushing some hair out of your face, he presses a kiss to your lips, “Yeah? You’ll have to tell me later which ones he told you, that way I can tell you what actually happened.” Joe throws Ned a grin, but you can tell it’s a little forced. 

 

You kiss his cheek and take one arm off of him so you both can face Ned. You notice how the two men have quieted down some since seeing each other and you understand. 

 

You put a hand to Joe’s chest, “I’ll leave you two alone. I have some errands to run anyway.” 

 

You say goodbye to Ned and before you can leave the room, Joe hooks an arm around you to kiss you one more time before letting you go. You grab your purse and leave. 

 

“Thought I told you never to bring your work shit to my place, near her,” Joe asks him as he leans against the wall. 

 

“I know. And you know I never do. So this must be important right?” Ned counters. 

 

Joe pushes off the wall, waiting for the blow. 

 

Ned glances at the seat you had occupied not a couple minutes ago before looking at Joe, “It’s about her. Figured I’d do an old friend a favor and give him a heads up.” 

 

His blood runs cold despite his body feeling hot with anger, “What the hell do you mean it’s gotta do with her?” 

 

Ned knows Joe very well, tends to happen after fighting side by side for two years. He knows how pissed off Joe is right now. 

 

He puts his hands up briefly, “Listen. From what I could figure out, she borrowed money from a girlfriend while we were over there. Girlfriend happen to have gotten it from her boyfriend, a boyfriend who happens to run in the same circle as myself.”  

 

Mobsters. 

 

Ned continues, “So as what usually happens, girlfriend breaks up with the boyfriend, boyfriend wants that money back, girlfriend sings like a canary and throws your wife’s name out there.” 

 

Joe shakes his head, “She never mentioned needing money. Every letter she wrote, she never made it sound like shit was bad here.”

 

Ned nods slowly, “Why would she, Joe? How could anything compare to what we were seeing?”

 

He sighs, “How much?” 

 

“Two grand.” 

 

“I don’t have that,” he runs a hand down his face, “Tell me, they coming after her?” His hands balling into fists. 

 

“Yeah, Gunney. They are.” 

 

Joe moves fast and Ned takes a step back as he gets in his face, “You tell them they’ll get their money and to back the hell off of her.” 

 

“I’ll do what I can, but you know they may not listen.” 

 

“They want their money, right? Why wouldn’t that be good enough?” Joe seethes. 

 

“They have money, it’s not about the money. It’s about the disrespect.” 

 

Joe shoves Ned back, “You know damn well that she had no idea where that money was coming from! She didn’t ‘disrespect’ any of those pieces of shit.” 

 

Ned stands up and straightens his tie, “I’m here as a friend! I figured that she didn’t know! But they have her name and that’s all that matters now. So figure something out, Joe. I don’t think you want to really imagine how this could end.”

 

And with that, he puts his hat back on his head and leaves Joe standing in the kitchen.

 

\---

 

You walk back in about an hour later and as you figured, Ned is gone. Joe is sitting on the couch, leaning on his knees. He looks up at you as you walk in. 

 

You put your purse down on the table and slip off your heels.  You sit next to him as he sits back and pulls your legs over his lap.  

 

“What’s wrong?” you run a hand through his short hair. His thumb rubs your skin under your knee. 

 

“Why didn’t you tell me you needed money while I was away?” 

 

You freeze for a second before your hands find your lap. You don’t understand how he could have found out, but he does now and he deserves answers.

 

“Because Joe, you were thousands of miles away fighting for your life. The last thing I was going to do was burden you with stupid problems.” 

 

He leans forward and kisses you, “What was it for?” 

 

You sigh, “The landlord raised the rent while you were gone. I worked extra hours but I just couldn’t make it,” you take his hand, pulling it into your lap as you run your fingertips over his knuckles and skin, “I broke down at work one day over it and Susan asked me what was wrong. She told me she had money saved and wanted me to have it, that I could pay her back. I said no at first but she insisted.” 

 

He doesn’t know what emotion to deal with first. He’s angry that the son of bitch landlord would raise the rent while the country was in the middle of a goddamn war; that he had no respect for a woman whose husband was away fighting in it. He’s upset that you had to deal with it on your own, that you had to work two jobs and extra hours and broke down crying over the situation.

 

“I didn’t know what else to do. Her money was going to help us. I couldn’t lose this place, Joe. I didn’t want you to come home to nothing,” and you mentally curse yourself for letting yourself get emotional about it. Joe immediately pulls you into his lap, hugging you as you sniffle a little. 

 

He loves you more than he could ever truly express. 

 

You pull away to look at him, “How did you find out?” 

 

“That’s why Ned was here.” And he watches the confusion on your face. 

 

“The money she gave you, she got it from her mobster boyfriend; she didn’t have it saved,” his heart pounds as he watches the slow wave of uncertainty and worry come over your face, “She broke up with him and they know you owe the money.” 

 

It’s no secret what the mob is capable of. Aside from hearing Joe’s stories from work, it’s in the newspaper every single day.

 

“No, no, no. I don’t even have it yet. I only saved $800 so far!” You’re starting to panic. 

 

Joe’s been through worse and he’s calm as he speaks to you, “No one is going to get anywhere near you. I promise you that. I am going to take care of this. You’ve done enough worrying about this on your own, I’ve got it from here,” and he turns his palm over in your grasp, his fingers lacing with yours. 

 

He brings your joined hands to his lips, kissing your skin. You slowly pull your hand away and wrap your arms around his neck, hugging him; one hand cradling the back of his head. 

 

His arms snug around you, one hand splayed across your back. He drops his head to press reassuring kisses to your neck. When his lips hit that particular sweet spot of yours, you mindlessly dig your fingertips into his scalp gently. 

Joe immediately notices and hears you barely breathe out his name. He hesitates for a brief moment before realizing you both need this right now. 

 

He kisses the spot a few more times, enjoying feeling you wiggle slightly in his arms at the sensation. He hears you quietly sigh in content before saying his name again in question. 

 

“ _ You’re _ stressed out,” he whispers against your ear before placing a soft kiss there. He rubs your back, “ _ I _ want to show you how much I love you,” he leans his head back slightly causing you to let him go enough to look at him. 

 

He presses a kiss to your lips, “But if you want me to stop, just say so,” kissing your cheek. 

 

Caressing his jaw with your hand, you shake your head before kissing him softly.  

 

\---

 

He resorts back to that focus he had in the war, the one where he’d do anything to keep his men safe. The only difference is now it’s your life he’s protecting and he’s never felt more focused.

 

He’s barely been sleeping, always doing something to gather the information he needs. 

 

The only things running through his mind are what Ned told him,  _ it’s not about the money _ and  _ I don’t think you want to really imagine how this could end. _

 

You manage to remember Susan mentioning a ‘Sam’ once or twice and that gives him something to start with.  He knows some of the players in Ned’s circle. He stays late at work to sneak into the files room and comb through the files they have on these guys without having to sign the files out. It takes him a few days of staying late to read through their known associates and finds the only Sam in the lot, a Sam Ryland. And he’s part of of Bugsy Siegel’s crew. 

 

At home Joe stays up all night, keeping watch out the windows for anyone or anything suspicious. He’ll go outside a couple times, have a smoke, while checking the streets.  He jots down license plates of vehicles that he’s seen a couple times. 

 

That’s what he’s currently doing, standing in the living room leaning against the wall next to one of the windows, peering down at the street. His arms crossed against his chest. 

 

You slide an arm over his shoulder and your other around his torso and he feels the couple soft kisses you press to the back of his neck. 

 

He turns his head towards you, before fully turning around and wrapping his arms around your waist. 

 

“It’s late, what are you doing up?” he kisses your forehead. 

 

You place a hand on his cheek and caress his cheekbone, “You’ve only slept a few hours in the past few days. You can’t keep this up, Joe, you’ll burn yourself out.” 

 

“I’m fine,” he kisses you, “I barely slept over there so it’s nothing I’m not used to.” 

 

You slowly slide your nails through the hair at the side of his head, you know he likes that. 

 

“You know, when Ned was here that day, he didn’t just tell me the funny stories,” you slowly run your nails through his hair a second time, mindlessly repeating the action as you speak softly. His eyes never leaving yours.

 

“He told me the things you did. Things to keep them alive,” and that’s when his gaze breaks from yours. His humbleness causing him to glance away. 

 

You cock your head a little to find his eyes again and he lets you. 

 

“How you risked your life several times to make sure they still had a chance of making it home alive,” you kiss his cheek slowly, “How brave you were,” you kiss the corner of his mouth, “and he also said how you wouldn’t shut up about me,” a small smirk at your lips as you watch him glance away again, a smirk playing at his own. 

 

This time his eyes come right back to yours and his hand comes up to brush a finger along your cheek, “He wasn’t wrong about that part.” 

 

And now you give him a soft, amused smile, “Joe, he wasn’t wrong about any of it,” you kiss him softly. 

 

“I’ll never know everything that you went through over there, but what I do know is that I am so proud of you. For the marines, the police force, and for this, you and me.” 

 

He knows he must have the most goofy smile on his face right now but that’s how in love with you he is. 

 

He kisses you deeply before saying anything.

 

“You are the absolute best thing that’s ever happened to me,” and his eyes always make you melt. You can always see the pure love he has for you. 

 

His hands cradle your face sweetly, thumbs stroking your cheeks, “Without you there is no me. I love you, baby.” 

 

You smile as he kisses you, “I love you too,” you nuzzle your nose against his softly, “Come to bed with me? I miss you.” 

 

“I promise I will. Be there in a minute.” 

 

You nod and run your hand down his arm as you step away from him. You turn but before you can step any further he holds your hand, “I’m proud of you too.” 

 

He says it soft and you turn back to him, unsure of what he could be referring to, “Of me? Why?” 

 

With a hold of your hand still, he walks towards you closing the short distance. 

 

His other hand finds your lower back, “For also being brave. I can’t even begin to describe how much I missed you, that’s why I never stopped talking about you,” and he gives a quick smirk at Ned outing him like that, “But I at least knew you were safe here.  How you lived for two years not knowing whether I was okay or not…” and he releases a small breath, “...I don’t think I could have survived that myself. But  _ you _ did. Then to put up with the bullshit of paying our bills and all of that, just, you’re an incredible woman. And I’m so proud to be your husband.” 

 

You pull your hand from his to wrap your arms around his neck, hugging him tight. He buries his face in your neck as you sweetly run a hand down the back of his head. His nose drags along your cheek as he pulls away, but not far because he kisses you passionately.  The kiss leaves you both breathless as your foreheads touch and your lips hover close. 

 

“Don’t leave me waiting, Joe,” you whisper and he doesn’t miss the hint of seduction in your tone. 

 

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he whispers right back before kissing you again. 

 

You walk back to the bedroom and he turns back to the window. He quickly jots down the license plate of the vehicle that’s still in the same spot, same guy in the driver’s seat. He gives it one more glance before following you to the bedroom.

 

\---

 

It’s a couple days later when you don’t know what time he ended up coming home because you fell asleep before you could find out. 

 

He’s already in the kitchen because you hear that the coffee pot is on.  You stand up, putting your silk robe on, and head into the kitchen.  A shirtless Joe is leaning against the counter, sipping a steaming mug of coffee.

 

He extends an arm out as you get closer and you step right into his embrace, hugging his torso. His hand slips into your hair as you kiss his jaw; you lean your head back just a little and he leans down kissing you with a smile. He moves his hand to your back and hands you his coffee; he knows you love to have even just a sip of coffee as soon as possible. You wrap your hands around it, now leaning against his chest and take a couple sips before giving it back to him. 

 

When you move off of him, he gives your butt a quick squeeze getting a giggle out of you. He turns to start cooking breakfast and you look at the newspaper on the table. 

 

**Bugsy Siegel and Crew Gunned Down**

 

You read the article to discover someone shot and killed Bugsy and his men as they hung out in Siegel’s house. Shot right through a large plate glass window.

 

You look at Joe who is placing a frying pan on the stove. 

 

“Was this you?” 

 

He turns his head as he lights the stove top and sees your finger pointing at the article, he looks at you. And you know the answer already, those dark, brown eyes of his give him away every time. 

“It doesn’t matter. All that matters is our problem is done.” 

 

He turns towards you when you walk to him, “It does matter, Joe! If they find out it was you…” you glance at that damn article again before looking back at him, “...I can’t go any more years without you, I can’t!” 

 

His hands are on your face before you even finish your sentence. 

 

“I’m not going anywhere,” he presses his forehead against yours

 

You close your eyes for a second and take a breath. Opening them, you find his right away, “Promise me that no one will know, that you made damn sure to cover your tracks.” 

 

He can’t help but give a quiet chuckle that clearly irritates you more. It’s like you’re the Bonnie to his Clyde. 

 

“Joe…” you say, pulling him out of his thoughts.

 

“I promise you with everything I have that no one will know….It’s you and me sweetheart, it’s still you and me.” 

 


	17. 'I know my wife'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joe helps the Reader deal with that time of the month

Every night, since you two first started dating, whenever you and Joe slept next to each other you both were always touching the other in some way.  When Joe was overseas, it was a hard adjustment for the both of you to learn to sleep without the other.  That first night he was home, you both fell right back into the routine. 

 

Tonight is no different. Joe is on his back, one arm curved on the pillow above his head. His other arm reaching down, his hand innocently tucked between your thighs as you sleep on your side, facing him. Both of your arms are hugging his that’s in front of you. 

 

The aches wake you up almost instantly.  You knew your period was coming, you were prepared otherwise, but the pain associated with it was never easy to predict.  You squeeze your eyes shut as a wave of pain pulsates through your abdomen. The pillow absorbs your low groan as you bury your face in it. 

 

Joe stirs next to you, but otherwise stays asleep. You don’t want to ruin his sleep with this so you very slowly untangle yourself from him. As you roll over another set of cramps incapacitates you; you curl into yourself to ride it out. Once you feel its absence, you quickly get up and walk into the bathroom. Just as you swallow a Tylenol, you double over with aches that feel like punches to your gut.  The bathroom rug becomes your bed for the night as the idea of walking seems impossible. 

 

Vaguely you remember what happened a little later in the night. Eyes barely opening, exhaustion set in your bones, you remember Joe’s face as he carried you back to bed; his soothing voice, “Come on, sweetheart.” 

 

The memory of how tired he looked himself seeps in. He laid you down on the bed, then walked out of the room. When he came back a few minutes later, he had a hot water bottle in his hands and gently laid it on your stomach. You mumbled something of gratitude, then curled onto your side, hand pressed to keep the bottle in place. Joe laid back down behind you. He pulled your back against his chest, your head tucked into the crook of his arm, his bicep your new pillow.  His arm moves over your hip, his hand sliding in under yours on the bottle, “I got it, don’t worry,” as he kisses your shoulder.  And his hand was still there when you woke up in the morning. 

 

It takes you a minute to see the time and register that you’re at least two hours late for work, as is Joe since he’s still behind you, you in his arms. 

 

His arm tightens on you and you lean back into him, turning slightly to look at him. 

 

He speaks before you get a chance to panic, “We’re both out sick. I called your work already and mine.” 

 

He kisses your cheek before gently leaning his face on yours, “I’m not leaving you alone when you’re like this.” 

 

Placing a hand on his jaw, thumb brushing his stubble, you pull him close and kiss him. He shifts your bodies so you’re on your back and he’s over you, lips never leaving yours. 

 

When he pulls away slowly, kisses pressed to the side of your face, you keep a hand on his jaw and smile, “Thank you.” 

 

“Mmhmm,” he hums as he keeps pressing sweet kisses around your face. 

 

Your hand moves to his shoulder, sliding down his bicep as he cups your cheek and asks, “How you feeling?” 

 

“Okay for right now. But it comes and goes.”

 

“You want some tea? I’m gonna get a cup of coffee,” he smooths some hair from your face

 

You shake your head and he kisses you before standing up and taking the hot water bottle, now cold, with him. 

 

You turn onto your side and listen to the sounds of Joe moving around in the other room. When he walks back in several minutes later, he has the newspaper tucked under his arm, a cup of coffee in one hand, and the hot water bottle in the other. 

 

He sits down, placing his coffee on the nightstand, and turns to hand you the hot water bottle, which you take gratefully and hold to your stomach.  He moves back, his back against the headboard, as he stretches his legs out in front of him, spread apart a little. He looks at you and pats his thigh with a raise of his eyebrow. 

 

Smiling, you sit up and move over until you’re sitting between his legs. Leaning back against his chest, he kisses your neck, then the side of your head. He brings his arms around and unfolds the newspaper to reveal a Hershey’s bar. He hands it to you as you laugh softly, “You’re amazing.” 

 

“I know my wife,” he grins, kissing your head.

 

You open the corner of the chocolate bar as Joe opens the newspaper. With the newspaper open in front of you, you nestle into his warm body as he reads some articles out loud, you quietly reading along. 

 

A piece of chocolate is shared between you as you take a bite and hold the other half out to him. As he reads, he stops to gently take the candy from your fingers with just his mouth, a kiss to your neck, then he reads as he chews. 

 

You point to a sentence in the article he just read out loud about Mickey Cohen, “He really did that to those men?” 

 

“It was even worse than what they wrote here,” he confesses. 

 

A couple more pieces of chocolate shared and then Joe is on to the sports section. No interest in that, you hand him the candy which he takes and places on the nightstand. You turn to your side and snuggle into him, closing your eyes as your head lays against his bare chest.  He rubs your side slowly and kisses your forehead.  

 

When he knows you’re asleep, he smiles lovingly at you. He drops the newspaper off the side of the bed, letting it float to the ground, then slowly leans forward just enough to grab the sheets and pull them up to cover you both. He wraps his arms around you, under the sheets, and kisses your head. 

 

“I love you,” he murmurs against your hair. 

  
He grins when he hears you quietly say, “I love you too, Joe.” 


	18. Heart of his Whole World

She looked so similar to you. So similar that Joe found himself starting to emotionally react as if it was you. Same color hair, same soft features. And the husband was as devastated as he himself would have been.

 

A woman was murdered in a break in. Robbing bastards killed her over jewelry and the money in her purse.  It looked like she had just gotten home and probably walked in on them. Still in her dress and heels.

 

Young couple, like you and Joe. The husband too was former military, Air Force to be exact. Only bought the house recently after saving up for a couple years. No way he’ll want to stay here anymore.  

 

Said he married her right before being sent over there, just like you two did. She had waited for him, waited to start their real married life only for this senseless act to rip it all away after only having that dream come true for a couple years.

 

It was painful to watch the grieving husband kneel down next to her, petting her cold face tenderly as he spoke of all this to Joe.  Joe put his arm up to block some of the guys from trying to take the body; he would want more time if it was you.

 

Then once the body was taken, Joe sat all night with the fellow vet at the station house. He sat with him in his office, shared a cup of coffee with him.  He let this stranger pour his heart out about the love of his life.  And all the while, Joe’s thoughts went to you. Went to your smile, your laugh. Went to the warm feeling he has every morning waking up to you. Went to the comfort he feels knowing you’re at home waiting for him. Went to how big his heart feels at the mere sight of you. Went to everything that was now just a memory for the man sitting across from him.

 

Joe was finally able to go home in the morning. The whole drive home, his wedding band caught his eye. He couldn’t help but put himself in the grieving husband’s shoes; thought about how he must feel when he looks at his own wedding band now and knowing that it’s matching pair is no longer connected to the beating heart of his whole world. Joe clears his throat as he feels his chest tighten at the thought of that ever being his reality.

 

He walks into the apartment quietly, it’s still early and he’s unsure if you’re awake. He catches himself holding his breath as he opens the door, almost afraid to find you in the same way as that woman. But the second he walks in he hears you softly humming from the kitchen, that same song that’s been on the radio constantly that you just love.  A soft smile adorns his face.

 

He shrugs his suit jacket off, tossing it on the nearby chair followed by his hat. His tie already loosened during the drive.

 

Finding his way to the doorway of the kitchen, he just takes a minute to look at you before making his presence known. You’re at the counter, back to him, cutting up fruit that you’re putting into a bowl. That silk, pink nightie that he loves still on your gorgeous frame. That soft hair of yours slightly mussed from sleeping and your legs are crossed; one foot propped up against your shin.

 

“Mornin’ Mrs. Teague.”

 

You smile at his voice before even turning around. Quickly putting the knife down and wiping your hands on a dish towel, you turn around and immediately move to him as he does the same.

 

“Good Morning Mr. Teague,” you smirk as his arms wrap around you and yours around his neck.

 

A quick flash of you laying on that floor, bloodied, crosses his mind but he kisses you and it’s instantly pushed away.

 

With your bodies close, the levity decreases as you fully unknot his tie and his hands are clasped together against your lower back.

 

“You must be exhausted,” you state with a slight frown. You pull the tie out from under his collar and place it on the table next to you.

 

“You could say that,” he kisses your forehead as you unbutton his shirt. He won’t tell you about the murder, not right now. He knows you, knows you have a bigger bleeding heart than himself. If he told you, you’d cry for the newly widowed man just as he had wanted to, but he doesn’t want to put you through that. He just wants to enjoy the happy that comes with being with you, the floating feeling he gets having you in his arms.

 

Once you have all his buttons undone, you grasp his face and kiss him softly. You taste like the melon you were cutting and it’s just another lovely memory to add to his growing collection. He chuckles when you pull away with a grin and start kissing his jaw as you murmur, “You grow a five o’clock shadow so fast, I love it.”

 

He brings his hand up to slide his fingers into your hair, palm on your cheek, and pulls you close as he places several kisses on the other side of your face. The warm breath from your quiet giggles hitting his neck.

 

“It don’t hurt?” referring to his stubble, but he knows it doesn’t. He loves using it to make you whimper in the sheets.

 

Your hands slip inside his now open shirt and glide across his chest until they’re on his shoulders. A satisfied groan rumbles from his chest as you gently massage them, “Nothing I can’t handle...or don’t appreciate,” you blush with a soft laugh.

 

The feeling of his smile against your skin is a favorite of yours. He pulls you close and smooths his hand over your hair a few times as you tilt your head back a bit to look at him.

 

A flash of the husband petting his dead wife’s face pops in, but again he pushes it out when he gazes into your eyes.

 

“I love you, you know that right? More than anything.” But it’s slightly rhetorical because he knows you do, just like he knows you feel the same about him. But after what he witnessed last night it definitely needs to be said, for his own heart. Just needs you to know.

 

It’s not hard to tell that Joe’s seen something that has him a little rattled. What kind of wife would you be if you couldn’t read your own husband? But you know not to push it. He comes to you when he’s ready and whenever that is, you’ll be there to listen. So his question just now, as much as you know he knows the answer, you correctly contribute it to whatever happened last night.

 

You slide your hands out from his shirt and wrap your arms around his neck, “Joe, baby, I know,” you kiss him, “I know.”

 

You pull him into a hug and turn to kiss his ear as your chin is on his shoulder. A whisper against him, “And I love you just as much.”

 

He rubs your back and kisses your neck. Another kiss to your ear, to your jaw, to your lips.

 

“I’m gonna jump in the shower then try and get some sleep. You mind laying with me for a bit when I do?”

 

Joe’s such a strong, muscled man. He’s intimidating to those who don’t know him. With you, he couldn’t be softer. He touches you with such gentle care and his smiles so sweet.

 

“Not at all,” you smile as you kiss him one last time before he walks away to the bathroom.

 

As he showers, you eat the fruit you cut and sip some coffee.  When you’re done, you collect his clothes from the bedroom floor and put them in the laundry basket. Joe walks out with the towel slung low on his hips.

 

You crawl into bed and watch him as he takes off the towel to dry himself more. He pulls on a pair of black sweatpants and gets into bed next to you. He looks so cute with damp hair, you brush the little bit from his forehead as he pulls you closer to him. Leaning in towards you, he kisses you softly. You place your hand on his cheek and rub your thumb over his stubble a few times.  

 

After a few minutes of kissing, you both settle in. He lays on his back, arm behind his head as you cuddle into his side, his arm wrapped around your back and hand coming up to soothingly comb through your hair.  

 

Fingertips caressing his side, you kiss his skin a few times as you drape your leg over his.  His hand in your hair starts lulling you to sleep. Eyes now closed, you reach up and caress his jaw momentarily, “Sleep, Joe.”

 

“I will,” he smirks as he presses his chin to his chest to look at you.

 

He just needs a little more time looking at you first. 


	19. Dog Tags

You wake up with a start, grasping for the man next to you, “Joe!” you exclaim from the dream.

 

Except your hand hits nothing but sheets.

 

You sit up and see the covers tossed back. As you listen for any sound as to where he may be, you hear nothing.

 

Tiredly, you run a hand through your hair as your feet hit the carpet.  You walk into the living room and rub your arms from the chill you feel. The window is open and you see Joe’s bare back, broad shoulders, as he leans on the railing of the fire escape. Smoke curls up from in front of him.

 

He stands up and turns as he hears you step onto the fire escape.

 

“Baby, what are you doing up?” He wraps an arm around you and tucks you against his chest, hand rubbing your back to generate some warmth for you.

 

Your arms circle his torso as he’s always so naturally warm. He kisses your hair.

 

“Bad dream.”

 

“Same one?”  

 

You’ve had the same bad dream lately. One where Joe didn’t make it home.

 

He feels you nod against his skin.

 

“Shit, I’m sorry I wasn’t there. I just...couldn’t sleep. Figured a smoke and some fresh air might help.”

 

“A little contradictory, no?” and he feels your lips smirk against his shoulder which causes his stomach to get that fluttering feeling. He tightens his hold and dips his head to kiss your neck.

 

“Suppose it is,” and his smile brushes your earlobe as he kisses below it. You shrug your shoulder on reflex as his kiss tickles.

 

“Joe,” you giggle. Joe chuckles and kisses your cheek, then your temple.

 

He snuffs his cigarette out on the metal and flicks it to the empty street below.  As you watch, you see his dog tags sitting on the railing.

 

You reach out and pick them up. Seeing his name and blood type etched in the metal makes your heart race. You run a finger over ‘Teague, Joseph’ and you cannot even imagine how in the big scheme of things, he’s just another name to the government when this man is nothing but your entire world.

 

And then you feel a rough patch of...something on the back. You turn over the tag to see dried blood covering the back of both tags. He must have scratched off the blood from the front you think.

 

Joe hears your quiet gasp and he shuts his eyes briefly as he remembers that day. The day he took shrapnel to his chest and the blood just didn’t seem to stop. He remembers grabbing Ned and just rambling out your address and what he wanted him to tell you in case he wasn’t making it home. He wanted you to know just how much he loved you. God, he even started just listing off every single thing about you that he loved so Ned could relay it.

 

You quickly make the connection from the bloody dog tags to the scar on his sternum that he came home with.

 

“Oh, baby,” you breathe, “Oh, Joe.”

 

He feels your fingers run across the scar before you grab his face and kiss him. The arm around your waist tightens as he lays his other hand on the back of your neck, gripping lightly.

 

He puts everything he has into the kiss as he lets himself remember just how certain he was that he was a goner. That the last time he’d have seen you was as you cried watching him leave on the train.  

 

You pull away to wrap your arms around his neck, hugging him tight. Tenderly, you stroke the back of his head as his arms fully snake around you, his nose pressed against your neck.

 

“How bad was it?” you whisper into the night. You swear his scar feels hotter than the rest of him now.

 

“Bad.”

 

The way he says it gives you goosebumps, but your sweet Joe thinks you’re just cold.

 

“Come on, let’s get you inside before you get sick.”

 

He kisses your neck and turns his head to kiss along the inside of your arm as he reaches behind his neck to take your hand.

 

He quickly steps inside the apartment first then holds your hand to help you back inside. Joe closes the window and makes sure it’s locked.

 

When he faces you again, he sees you looking at his scar before looking at him.

 

He gently takes your chin and kisses you softly.

 

You move the dog tags in your hand before handing them back to him. He takes them, looks at them, then puts them on a nearby surface. He turns back to you and scoops you into his arms, bringing you back to the bedroom.

 

He takes a seat on the bed, holding you on his lap.

 

“So how are we looking?” he kisses your shoulder.

 

With a smile, you grab the hem of your nightie and pull it up to reveal the beginnings of a rounded belly.

 

“We’re looking pretty good I’d say,” you laugh softly.

 

Joe lays his hand on your stomach and smooths his thumb against it.  You place your smaller hand over his.

 

“Still too soon for kicks right?” he asks as he smiles at it.

 

“Yeah. But the doctor said in a couple weeks we may feel the first one,” you kiss his temple.

 

You run your hand through his short hair, “Boy or girl for you Detective Teague?”

 

“Doesn’t matter to me,” he leans down and kisses your belly, then sits back up and kisses you.

 

“I have you and we have a baby on the way. For a guy who had some close calls, having you two is incredible as it is for me. So I’m happy, sweetheart, with whichever we made. Bottom line is that it’s you and me in there so we already know this little peanut is going to be pretty great.”

 

You can’t stop your smile as you kiss him, “Agreed. Though it would be adorable to see your mini-me running around.”

 

“You say that now but I was a rascal of a kid,” he laughs, “Besides, nothing would be as cute as a little you. She’d have me wrapped around her finger in a second, just like her mother does,” he smirks as you blush. He kisses the corner of your mouth as you touch his jaw.

 

You both crawl back into bed as the conversation continues about what your child would be like and the what ifs for the future. All the while, in the back of Joe’s mind is how he never even thought he’d be here right now. Never thought he’d hold you again, let alone starting a family.  And though he’d never forget those he lost or the things he’s seen, every moment with you allows him to push those memories to the back of his mind. Doesn’t let them hinder him from living the best life he can, for all those who didn’t get the chance to live theirs. 


	20. The Last Night

Sitting on the stove is a pan of chicken piccata, untouched, and two places are set at the table. A bouquet of your favorite flowers are in a vase on the kitchen counter.  Water droplets are scattered around it from the one flower that got pulled out.

 

The trail of clothes starts at the edge of the kitchen and end at the foot of the bed.

 

Your naked bodies are bathed in the moonlight as Joe, propped up on his elbow, lightly trails his finger between your breasts, drawing random shapes along your skin. Your hand is on his cheek, absentmindedly stroking his skin; both of you lost in each other.

 

He had two days off from basic training with the Marines and spent half of one day traveling to get to you. You knew he was coming which is why you cooked his favorite dish. He made sure to buy flowers for you because he loves how they make you smile.

 

It was when you were putting the flowers in the vase that he started kissing your neck and when he pulled you away from the counter to wrap you in his arms is when you accidentally pulled that single flower out.

 

He’s already made love to you twice since then and you still can’t get enough of him.

 

He leans over you more, his other forearm now next to you, bicep against your chest.  He moves his leg between yours and you slide your hands up his chest and cup his jaw. Your thumbs rub his skin, you feel the slight roughness of his stubble that’s starting to grow back.

 

He leans down and his lips find yours, his kiss gentle yet passionate. His hand moves to grip your thigh. He pulls away to kiss your jaw, your neck, and then slowly moves down your body.

 

He moves along placing kisses along your entire self, all the way down to the top of your feet.  Sitting up, you watch as he sits back up.  He grabs your wrist, pulling you close enough for him to grip your waist and pull you into his lap.

 

You sling one arm around his neck and use your other hand to run over the new USMC tattoo on his bicep.  His nose presses into your neck as you feel him lightly sucking your skin.  As his lips work on you, you slowly run your hand down his chest and torso, fingertips lightly dragging along his lower stomach which earns you a gentle nip.

 

You can feel the small patch of skin lightly pulsing when he pulls away.  

 

He looks at you with a soft smile on his face as he lazily brushes his hand through your hair.  As he caresses your cheek, he lovingly gazes at you.

 

He broke the news already that this will be the last time you see him before he’s sent to war and he wiped your tears as you cried. Now you just want to memorize everything about him.

 

You wrap your other arm around him and hug him tight. He turns his face slightly, his nose burying in your hair, and rubs your back soothingly. A kiss is pressed into your shoulder.

 

“You better come back to me, Joe.”

 

It’s more of a weak command than a scolding one.

 

A warm exhale glides across your skin, “I will,” another kiss to your skin, “I have plans for you and me.”

 

Leaning back in his arms so you can look at him, you give him a soft smile, “Like what?”

 

He caresses your cheek before sliding his hand further into your hair and kissing the other side of your face, “Well, for one, I owe you a honeymoon.”

 

His lips touch your earlobe, your temple, “Somewhere away from the city...just us…”

 

You close your eyes from his touches.

 

“Somewhere where I can keep you in bed all day, touching you, kissing you.” His lips tenderly brush over your eyelids, causing you to open them when you feel him move away.

 

“Sounds perfect,” kissing him softly.

 

That grin of his makes your heart melt.

 

“Then I’m going to buy you a house, a nice one out there in the suburbs.”

 

He speaks between kisses to your shoulders and collarbone, “White picket fence, that dog we’ve always wanted to get.”  You smile but you feel the tears forming, both from the sentiment and the sad, possible alternative that it may never come to be.

 

“A backyard?” you add to the imagery.

 

He looks at you, “Baby, the biggest backyard. We need one, for all the kids I want to have with you.”

 

The first couple tears roll down your face as you smile and Joe simply wipes them away, never commenting on them.

 

“Yeah? How many do you want us to have?” You sweetly ask.

 

“How many do you want?” He asks, kissing the corner of your mouth.

 

“Two, probably three.” You give a quiet laugh.

 

He wipes another tear from your cheek, but a smile on his face at your laugh, “Make it three. More practice for us,” he teases.

 

You giggle and you wipe one tear from his own face that he never even realized fell. He lays you back gently on the bed, moving over you.

 

Your arms still around his neck, “You really think about all that?”

 

That look of love he gives you says it all.

 

“Absolutely. The second I saw you I knew I wanted to be your husband, the one who gets to love you forever. Have a family with you. All of it. I want all of it with you. You have no idea how much I love you.”

 

Tears are rolling down your skin but you still smile and pull him down a little more to kiss him. You tenderly stroke his face, “I think I have an idea.”

 

It’s how much you love him too.


	21. His Angel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by the picture below

 

Last night Joe had another dream about the war. No, not a dream. A dream is something you wish you could fall back into. This was a nightmare.

A nightmare for you both.

A pressure on your chest woke you up.  You found Joe with a hand on your sternum, applying immense pressure as he moved to straddle your legs.  He was pushing down so hard you were just waiting to hear the crack of one of your ribs.  Tears started instantly, both from the pain and the glazed over look of your husband’s eyes.

You tried endlessly to push on his forearm to relieve any of the pressure, but even with both hands you were no match. Repeating his name wasn’t doing anything. But it was when he slowly pulled his right fist back that your fear grew tenfold.

Terrified at what was most likely going to happen, you screamed his name through your tears.  

With a couple blinks, you could see when Joe came back to reality. You watched as it took him a few seconds to fully take in your cries and your hands still trying to move his arm. He slowly turned his head to find his fist at the ready and that's when he whipped his head back to look at you, a look of torment on his face from his own actions.

Joe scrambled backwards off the bed, walking backwards until his back bumped the dresser.

As soon as he got off of you, you sat up rubbing where his hand had anchored you. You couldn’t stop crying.

“What was I going to do?” he whispered at first, more to himself. Then he angrily shouted to no one, “What was I going to do?!”

“Joe, please, it’s fine,” your tears ruined any chance of truth to your words, “It’s okay.”

Tears of his own had started to roll down his cheeks. He saw you holding your chest and had taken a couple steps towards you before he stopped himself.

“You need to get away from me,” he blinked before he looked at you, “I’m...I’m not safe to be around,” he had said with a shuddering breath.

The rest of the night was filled with cries from the two of you as you both argued. Joe trying to convince you to leave him, you refusing. He even tried to pack a bag a couple of times but you grabbed it from him each time.

It wasn’t until hours later that he finally let himself near you again, enough to hold you against him.

The apologies he whispered over and over again against your face and hair replayed in your head.

Both of you had fallen asleep again, but when you woke up, Joe was already gone.

Panicked that he may have left for good, you rushed to his closet and was relieved to see that his luggage was still there. He simply went to work early, to avoid you you know that.

The ache from your chest was profound and a look in the mirror revealed a palm sized bruise. Joe had to have seen that when he woke up with you in his arms.

You were off from work today so you spent the morning running errands and the afternoon doing little chores around the apartment. Nothing truly distracted you from thinking about Joe.

You missed him. Truly  _missed_  him even after having seen him just last night. Even after the horrible night.

Two years you spent without him. Two years alone in this very apartment wondering if he was still alive.

You knew what life was like without him. Having him home, no matter how many demons he came back with, was all you wanted and all you’ll ever need.

The front door opens and you hear Joe walk in. Walking to the doorway of the bedroom, you watch his back as he hangs his hat up then turns around. And you see the bouquet of flowers in his hand. The very same flowers he felt like an asshole for buying, as if flowers could ever make up for what he did to you he thought.

His eyes are staring back at you, still so sad and ashamed.

“Hey,” he softly utters before clearing his throat a bit and it makes your heart hurt that he’s nervous right now, “I know this means shit, but these,” and as he starts to say the flowers are for you, you’re running over to him, arms wrapping around his neck.

And you hug him.

For Joe, that was all he needed to relax again. He drops the flowers to wrap his arms around you, you hear his small sigh of relief and you place your hand on the back of his head.

“I missed you,” you find yourself managing to say through a small sob.

Joe squeezes his eyes shut at your words as he holds you even closer. When he opens them, he feels the tears glossing over them. He turns his head, his nose pressing into your temple.

“I missed you too, baby. I love you, god do I love you,” he breathes, hand coming up to tenderly grip the back of your head. 

Minutes pass as you two just stay in the loving embrace, hands sweetly stroking hair and skin.

“I want to show you something,” Joe breaks the silence first.

Slowly you unwrap your arms from his neck, sliding your hands down his chest. He grasps one of your hands then bends down to pick up the flowers, putting them on the table. Then he’s leading you into the bedroom where you can see his slight hesitation to enter it after last night. Motioning for you to sit, you do so on the edge of the bed.

Joe lets go of your hand to rummage through his closet until he turns around with a familiar looking notebook.

It was pocket sized, leather. Your lips part ever so slight as you look at it in his hands, then look at him.

You bought that for him, mailed it to him a couple weeks after he landed at Guadalcanal.  It was a bit silly of an idea you felt at the time, but you figured mail of any kind was good; the notebook was for him to journal in. Something to just give him an escape of any kind. You even mailed him pencils with it.

Before you mailed it, you wrote on the first page, a little example for him.

_I miss my husband every day, but I’ve never been more proud of him.  May he stay safe during these dark times and come back to me as soon as he can._

_My dearest Joe, I love you with all my heart._

You even pressed your red coated lips below the last line at the time.

He sits next to you and hands it to you, “I, uh, I used this. Whenever I needed to...to get thoughts out. Wrote about a lot of things we did and saw over there.”

As he speaks, you just briefly flip through it, not really reading anything just yet.

“It’s bad stuff, sweetheart,” you look at him, “Things I wouldn’t want you to have to read normally, but, uh, with...with these goddamn nightmares, I just really need you to.”

He leans into your touch as you lay your hand on his cheek.

“I need you to see that I’m not crazy. I’m still your husband, I’m still me,” he swallows, “I just have seen things that no person ever should.”

“Joe, I don’t think you’re crazy,” you say so soft and sincere, your thumb stroking his cheek, “I know you’re still the man I fell in love with. I’ve never doubted that.”

“...but I have,” and the glossy look in his eyes has you tearing up. He’s even more torn up that you thought.

That night, after some heavy convincing to have him stay in bed, you waited for him to fall asleep. As soon as he did, you picked up the notebook and switched your small lamp on and began reading.

Joe wasn’t kidding. He wrote about a lot. The violence he saw and the violence he took part in. The underlying fear he felt as he lead his men. The midnight attacks they endured. Just...everything.

And yet, despite how horrific that day’s content was, there was always a sentence or two directed at you at the end.

_I miss you so much, baby._

_Love you, sweetheart._

_I wish I was home with you in my arms._

_I miss the feeling of your skin._

_Your smile is what keeps me going._

Every page had something for you at the bottom. But it makes your heart clench for more than the obvious sweetness of it. Joe never meant for you to read this. He said it himself. The only reason you were being allowed into this part of his world is because he involuntarily dragged you into it himself. And that means those little pieces of love he wrote to you? They were for him to feel like you were near. For him to imagine that you heard him somehow as he wrote those words. And that is what makes your heart so full.

You stayed up almost all night reading it, this small portion of what your beloved Joe had gone through, what he survived.

You never doubted his nightmares were for a good reason, but now the confirmation was spelled out in front of you in his own words. Words he could never bring himself to say out loud.

Tears are fresh on your face as you notice the sun is now almost up. Finishing the last page, you spot the final sweet remark to you,  _My love, I’ll see you soon._

You look down at Joe asleep next to you, his hand molded to your sheet covered thigh.  So gently, you pick it up so you can slide down and lay next to him. You lace your fingers with his and brush your lips over his knuckles before cradling his hand to your chest.

Sweetly you run your fingernails along his temple, watching as his face relaxes more at your touch. You move a fingertip across his brow before letting your hand slide from his cheek then along the strong cut of his jaw.

He breathes in a little deeper than he has been and his eyes open immediately finding yours. A small smile on his face moves your hand with the movement of his cheeks.

Joe notices the tears instantly but he sees you’re okay and in the corner of his eye he sees his little notebook sitting on top of the covers.

You lean forward and slowly mold your lips to his.  Joe squeezes your hand that’s holding his and you let it go to fully cradle his face.  He then slides his arms around your body, needing you to be even closer, as he takes his time kissing you.

The next several minutes are spent in each other's arms. Slow kisses and soft touches.

As you cuddle into him, sleep finally calling to you, he keeps an arm wrapped around you as he puts a gentle hand on your cheek. Holding you close to his chest as he kisses your head.  

When your breathing steadies, he watches you as you had watched him.

And he feels different. Lighter. Like maybe his demons have floated away now that an angel has seen them too.

Spotting the notebook tucked between your bodies, he picks it up, using his thumb to turn to his favorite page, the first one.

With a loving grin, he runs the pad of his thumb over your lip print. The slight ridges now dulled from him doing this every night while he was over there.

He places the notebook on his side table, then cradles your face once more. Now he lightly brushes his thumb over your lips, your only movement being to snuggle closer.

With a press of his own to your forehead, he lingers there.

His lips move against your soft skin, “We’re going to be okay.”


	22. Frisky Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joe tries to convince you to stay home today

Just barely awake, eyes still closed but mind starting to stir, you register the feeling of fingers combing through your hair. It feels so relaxing. As a tiny smirk appears on your face, you feel his lips start pressing the lightest kisses around your face. 

 

“Mmm, tell me it’s Saturday,” you half whine, half tease. 

 

He grins against your jaw before you feel another kiss there. 

 

“It’s Saturday,” he humors you with a smirk. But you just smile; it’s only Wednesday. 

 

He then dips his head down to kiss your collarbone. Slowly he moves up. His nose brushes along your throat as his kisses trail behind.  When you feel his nose and lips start moving under your chin, you tilt your head back enough that he can plant some sweet kisses there. 

 

Finally, you open your eyes when you feel the kisses stop and his thumb stroking your chin. 

 

“I don’t want to go to work,” you run the tip of your finger down his nose before leaning forward and kissing it. He then captures your lips with his own. 

 

“So don’t. I’m off today, stay here with me,” he suggests between kisses. 

 

“Nothing I want more right now. But I have too many things due soon. If I take off, I’ll be more backed up.” 

 

Joe fully leans over you, causing you to roll onto your back. He grins as he pulls the sheet down enough to slide a hand under the hem of your nightgown. Playfully you glare at him before pulling him down for a kiss as his hands still move along your body. 

 

“I hate you right now,” you mumble against his lips. Joe chuckles into the kiss, “No you don’t.” 

 

As his fingers brush the underside of your breasts, you pull away and push his shoulders. 

 

“Joe! No!,” you laugh with flushed cheeks. 

 

His hands grip your waist as he laughs against your neck. 

 

Tenderly you stroke the back of his head and kiss his skin where his shoulder meets his neck. 

 

“I really, really can’t. Even though I really, really want to.” 

 

He kisses your neck then lifts his head to kiss you properly. 

 

“Was worth a shot.”

 

Joe stands up and puts his hand out to you. With an audible sigh you sit up and take his hand. He proceeds to lean down and lift you horizontally onto his shoulders, hand still holding yours. 

 

“Joseph!” you yelp with a laugh. Joe can’t hide his smile as he walks into the bathroom with you like that. You playfully bite his shoulder which earns you a playful bite to your knee that he has his hand on. Defeated, you just laugh as he bends down and sits you on the counter of the sink. 

 

“Something you learned in the Marines, Sergeant?” 

 

He sticks his hand behind the shower curtain as he looks at you, “Yeah,” he glances behind the curtain before looking back at you, “was wondering when it’d be useful,” he winks as you hear the shower turn on. He walks back over to you and using both hands, makes a ‘come here’ motion with his fingers.

 

You lift your arms up and he lifts your nightgown up and off of you.  He places it next to you before placing his hands on the counter, on either side of your thighs, and leans towards you with a small smirk. 

 

You place your hands on his chest and slide them up his neck until you have his face in your hands. Leaning forward, you part your lips just as you go to kiss him, but you stop short of doing just that. 

 

Joe’s hands slide up your sides until you feel his thumbs brush against your bare chest. He notices the tiny shiver you get. 

 

Lips a mere breath away from one another, “Problem?” he asks, voice thick with desire. 

 

You wrap your arms around his neck and press your chest against his, “Yeah, your pants are still on,” and you give him a playful grin. 

 

“Get over here,” he mumbles before kissing you deeply. His hands spread across your back. You shift your hips against his to push him back and you hop off the counter, breaking the kiss. 

 

His eyes follow your movements as you pull your panties down and step out of them.  As you step close to him, his hands find your hips before smoothing over your backside. 

 

You give a little pull of his waistband, snapping it gently against his skin, “Your turn.” 

 

You step back and as soon as he pulls them down, you wrap an arm around his neck, placing your other hand on his pec. He grips your waist and picks you up; you bend your knees and squeeze them against his hips. He holds you close as he pulls back the shower curtain and steps into the tub with you. Once inside, you bring your legs down to touch the porcelain. 

 

Joe turns his back to the water, blocking it from you. When you look at him, he cups your cheek and kisses you slowly. 

 

“Okay,” he hears you say once he moves his mouth to your jaw. 

 

“Mm?” he hums as he presses kisses on your sweet skin. 

 

“I think I can take half a day off.”


	23. Valentine's Day

You smile as you smell the bouquet of flowers you’re holding for the millionth time. Joe had your favorite flowers sent to your work for Valentine’s Day. 

 

When you walk into your apartment, you immediately set them in a vase with water.  Joe should be home in a couple of hours so you start cooking his favorite meal.  

 

Once the meal is finished cooking, you set the table and then walk into the bedroom.  Pulling out a bag from behind your bedside table, you pull out the lacy lingerie you recently bought.  Just imagining how much Joe is going to love you in it makes you smile. 

 

As an option to give him, dinner or dessert first, you change into the lingerie and then throw on one of his dress shirts, unbuttoned, because you know how that kills him when you wear it.  

 

As the time gets closer to him coming home, the phone rings. 

 

“Hello?” 

 

You can hear the smile in his voice, “Hey, sweetheart.” 

 

“Hey! Thank you for the beautiful flowers, I love them.” 

 

Only a hint of a smile is on his face as he leans back in his chair, tapping a pencil on his desk. He hates that he has to do this tonight of all nights, “I’d have sent more if I knew you weren’t going to have to carry them home yourself.” 

 

He closes his eyes at your soft giggle, hating himself, “Listen, I hate that I have to do this, but I got to work late tonight,” he leans forward and leans his elbow on the desktop as he rubs his eyes in frustration. 

 

“Oh,” and you look down at what you’re wearing, disappointed that the night was cut short before it even began. 

 

He shakes his head at himself when he hears the disappointment in your voice. 

 

“That’s okay, Joe. Don’t worry about it,” you continue. 

 

“I’ll make it up to you somehow. I promise, baby.” 

 

“I know you will,” and you do, he didn’t even have to tell you. He’s such a romantic man. 

 

He pulls the phone away from his mouth as he sighs, “I don’t know what time I’m gonna be done here so don’t wait up.” 

 

You just play with the buttons on his shirt as you nod, even though he can’t see you, “Okay. I love you.” 

 

“I love you too, beautiful. Bye.” He hangs his head as he puts the phone back in the receiver. 

 

With a sigh, you stand up and take off his shirt, laying it on the bed. You take off the lingerie and put it back in the bag, shoving it under the bed. Slipping on one of Joe’s tshirts you head into the kitchen to eat dinner alone.  Once you’re finished, you put the leftovers away, but leave a setting on the table for Joe in case he’s hungry when he gets in. 

 

To keep yourself from harping on the night, you clean for a little bit then you decide to at least pamper yourself. 

 

The bathroom lights get shut off and you light several candles instead.  Warm, almost hot, water fills the tub.  You slip off his shirt, goosebumps forming along your skin as you step into the soothing water and slowly lower your body into it. Gently, you lean back against the end of the tub, head back, and close your eyes as you let yourself relax. 

 

It’s not long after that that you hear the front door open.

 

Joe steps inside, holding a bouquet for you. He can still smell the food you cooked earlier, can tell it was his favorite dish. He takes his hat off, hanging it on the coat rack, followed by his suit jacket. He walks into the kitchen and notices the single place setting. What a crappy husband he is, making his wife eat alone on Valentine’s Day. He fits the bouquet into the vase with the other one then heads into the bedroom. He takes his gun out of his shoulder holster, then slips the holster off.  He runs his hand over his dress shirt laid out and wonders what plans you had had for him. 

 

His footsteps hit the bathroom tile and you open your eyes to see him leaning against the door. His sleeves are rolled up, hands in his pockets. 

 

“I completely ruined tonight,” brows furrowed, frown on. 

 

Just a small smile, “You have an unpredictable job, it’s okay.” 

 

“Doesn’t make me feel any better,” he walks over to you. A quick tug up of his pant legs and he’s crouching next to the tub. His hand cups your cheek, you let him guide your face to look at him. 

 

His thumb moves across your bottom lip, “I’m so sorry.” 

 

“Joe, just kiss me.” 

 

And you smile when you get a grin out of him. He leans in and kisses you good. You move closer to him as you slip your tongue in; a satisfied growl coming from his throat. 

 

Pulling away slowly, he follows to give you a few short kisses. 

 

“Come in?” you ask quietly. 

 

He kisses you again before standing up and undressing. You don’t take your eyes off him as his naked body slowly comes into view with each piece of clothing removed. 

 

When he moves to get in, you sit up, and he steps in behind you. When he settles down, his back is against the porcelain and he has you wrapped in his arms against his chest. 

 

He immediately places kisses along your shoulders. You curl into him and he kisses your head. 

 

After a few minutes of cuddling, he pulls you into the crook of his arm almost and leans his body over yours slightly as he kisses you and then makes out with you. 

 

It’s not too long after that you’re straddling him in the water, your hand gripping the back of his head as he keeps a hold on you. 

 

\---

 

The next morning, he feels a slight weight to his naked hips. His hands move first, finding the silky, smooth feel of your bare thighs. He opens his eyes to find you straddling him; you’re wearing the lingerie you bought and his dress shirt. 

 

“This was what I wanted to show you last night,” you smile as your cheeks turn pink. 

 

He just stares at your body, hands moving up and down.

 

Giggling, “Joe, nothing to say?” 

 

His tongue licks his lips quick before you’re giggling as he quickly sits up and moves you onto your back, his body hovering over you. 

 

“Valentine's Day, take two,” he says with a smirk, before he’s leaning down and whispering, “Unbelievably sexy,” his mouth on your neck.  


	24. Love and Boxing

Running a hand through your hair as you yawn, you walk into the kitchen to find Joe sitting at the table reading the newspaper. He’s still in the sweatpants he wears to sleep. 

 

You squeeze his shoulder, heading for the coffee pot when he grabs your wrist and pulls you into his lap. The newspaper on the table now, he hugs you against him, nuzzling his nose against your jaw as you smile at his actions. 

 

You gently grasp his chin and kiss him.  He presses a quick kiss to your lips, then your neck as you snuggle into him. He wraps an arm around you to pick up his mug of coffee, bringing it to his mouth to take a sip.  He hands the mug to you; holding the warm cup between your hands, taking a sip yourself. 

 

With his arm still around you, and you snuggled against his chest, cup in hand, he picks up the paper to continue reading.  You read along with him at times, other times placing kisses along his neck and jaw causing him to grin and turn his head, him needing to kiss you. 

 

The newspaper floats to the floor, Joe taking the coffee from your hands and blindly putting it on the table as he deepens the kiss. 

 

You wrap your arms around his neck as his hand slides under your nightie, caressing your upper thigh, then squeezing your butt.  His other arm snug around your waist. 

 

You slowly drag your nails along the nape of his neck, up and down, and you don’t miss the low groan from his throat.  

 

Warmth is across your face, results from you blushing, as you two finally pull apart.  You cup his cheek, thumb brushing under his bottom lip. He leans forward giving you a quick kiss. 

 

“You going to the gym after work?” you ask as you kiss him. 

 

Joe was training for a boxing match next month, LAPD vs. LAFD.  The proceeds go to charity and Joe was picked to represent the police since he’s been boxing for years. 

 

He hums in response, opening his mouth a little more to deepen the kiss. 

 

After a couple minutes, when you both need some air, you both pull away. His tongue sweeps over his bottom lip quickly, “You can’t look like that and expect me to go to work.” 

 

You blush more and give a little laugh, “What are you talking about?” 

 

His hand weaves into your hair at the back of your head and pulls you in as he leans forward, placing light kisses around your face between words, “Your lips slightly swollen….your pink cheeks…”

 

He kisses you and you smile against him, before grasping his face gently and pulling back, “I need to go to work and you need to go to work,” you kiss him quick then stand up. You put your fingertips to your mouth and smile as you look at him, a few strands of hair falling in front of your face. 

 

Joe’s up in seconds, hand brushing the hair from your face, before he wraps you up in his arms. You laugh at his eagerness as you wrap an arm around his shoulders, your hand on his chest.  

 

“Joe,” is all you manage to get out before he’s kissing you again. He presses you up against the wall as his hands roam your sides. 

 

“We can both call in sick,” he mumbles as his lips move to your neck. 

 

You close your eyes, head leaning back slightly, “We did that last week, remember?” 

 

He kisses up to your ear, “How could I forget?” he chuckles softly, “We both still have the marks from it,” and he kisses a healing hickey that's visible on your chest.  

 

You open your eyes and blush hard at the memory as your hand moves into his short hair, your other gripping his shoulder. 

 

“Compromise?” You ask with a smile as he lifts his head. 

 

“What do you got?” His smirk making your heart melt. His hand cups your cheek, thumb smoothing over your skin. 

 

“I’ll join you in the shower, if you promise that you won’t start anything that will make us both late for work?” 

 

He kisses you with that smirk still on his face, “Deal.” And he picks you up, carrying you into the bathroom. 

 

He’s a smartass that husband of yours, because he didn’t start something that would make you late, but he did start something.  He made sure he made it worth your while simply with the touch of his hand, you being his only focus.

 

\---

 

It’s after dinner and Joe never came home. You weren’t surprised. Boxing has always been a big part of who he is. It’s not the first time he’s lost track of time while training. 

 

You head over to the boxing gym, the same one Joe’s been going to since before you two had first started dating. The older couple who owns it, Arthur and Helen, were even among the few who came to your last minute wedding before Joe got shipped overseas a few years ago. 

 

Helen happens to be sweeping near the door when you walk in, her face lights up at the sight of you. 

 

“Hello dear!” She pulls you into a big hug, “I was just telling Arthur we need to have you two kids over for dinner again soon.” 

 

You smile as you pull back, “We’d love that.” 

 

She pats your hand, “Oh, good! Now, you here for that handsome husband of yours?” and she gives you that teasing smirk of hers.  

 

“I am. Hope he’s not causing a distraction for you?” You love to tease her right back. Helen always tells Joe how handsome he is and she was so excited when he brought you around the first time. So happy that his handsome self finally found himself a wonderful, beautiful girl. 

 

She links her arm with yours, leading you to where he is, laughing at your joke, “Oh sweetie, you know he is,” and she laughs, “It’s one of the perks of working in a place like this.” 

 

You laugh, “Doesn’t Arthur get jealous that one of these men might whisk you away from him?” 

 

“Oh, Artie knows that he’s stuck with me. I may enjoy the view around here but my heart belongs to him.”

 

You smile at her sentiment. You always admired their relationship. 

 

She lifts her finger and points. Following her gaze, you see Joe sparring with one of the regulars.  You’ll never get used to the way your heart skips seeing him like this - his body covered in a sheen of sweat that highlights the cuts of his muscles, the focus on his face, and the small grunts he makes that make you blush every time. 

 

Helen looks at you and sees your blushing face, the look of love in your eyes and she nudges your shoulder with that teasing smile; you only blush harder. 

 

Once there’s a break in the sparring, Helen shouts, “Hey Joe, your wife misses ya!” 

 

Joe turns his head at his name and spots the two of you, a smile appearing on his face. He starts unlacing his gloves with his teeth as he leans on the top rope, “I don’t know, Helen. No way a beautiful woman like that would marry a guy like me.” 

 

He pulls his gloves off and lifts the top rope, dipping underneath, and jumping down off the ring. 

 

“You’re too much, Joe,” Helen laughs. 

 

He chuckles as he gets close. He only puts a hand on your hip and leans in, getting a kiss from you, so he doesn’t get any sweat on you.  You smile and wipe some of your lipstick off his lip. 

 

“I completely lost track of time. I’m sorry,” Joe tells you, realizing he never called. 

 

“It’s okay, “ you give him a smile, “You looked good up there.” 

 

That smirk of his shows up, “Is that right?” 

 

You roll your eyes playfully, but Joe just laughs. 

 

“I just want to hit the bag a little and then we can go, that okay?” He asks. 

 

You nod, “Gives me time to catch up,” you look at Helen. 

 

“Perfect!” she claps her hands, “I never get female company around here.” 

 

You both laugh and Joe pulls his gloves back on. You lace and tie each one for him, earning a quick kiss to your forehead. Before he walks away, he kisses you one more time. 

 

\---

 

You talk with Helen for almost an hour, losing track of time, until Helen says it’s closing time. She knows about the charity match Joe is training for so she gives you the keys to lock up. 

 

You see Arthur pat Joe on the shoulder before Joe continues punching, no doubt Arthur telling him he could stay after hours. 

 

Once everyone leaves and it’s just you two, you walk closer to where Joe is, sitting on a bench.  You get lost watching his strong arms pummel that bag.  

 

He finishes up about 10 minutes later, walking over to you and taking a seat next to you. You start unlacing his gloves for him. 

 

“Thank you.” 

 

You smile, “I’m surprised your face is clean.” 

 

“Have to keep it that way. Sergeant says I gotta be clean before the fight so whatever I might look like after is more of a shock for the press.” 

 

“Isn’t that nice?” You pull his gloves off then untape his hands. 

 

“I’ll be alright.” He assures you. You both know he’s capable, but you still worry. 

 

“Mind if I shower before we go?” 

 

“Mind if I join you?” you blush with a smile. 

 

“Not at all,” he leans forward kissing you deeply. You snake your hands into his sweaty hair, loving every bit of it. He lifts you by your waist, your legs wrapping around his hips. You don’t even care that the sweat from his torso is making spots on the skirt of your dress.

 

He holds onto you as he walks you towards the locker room. 

 

You wrap an arm around his shoulders, your hand smoothing over his sweaty shoulder blade. You place soft kisses along the side of his face, “I missed you today.”

 

He kisses the fabric of your dress, over your chest, that's in front of him, “Wished we took that sick day?” 

 

“A little.” 

 

He laughs and puts you down outside his locker.  He pulls you close, kissing you, “I missed you too.” 

 

He crouches down and slips your shoes off, before standing up and wrapping his arms around you. You feel him unzip the back of your dress as he kisses you. 

 

You smile against his lips before you pull away. As he takes off his boxing shorts and shoes, you slip off your dress and underwear. 

 

He’ll never be surprised at how his heart always skips when he sees your body. You’re perfect. 

 

As he picks you up, he teases, “This isn’t another compromise, is it?” 

 

You kiss him passionately, “No. We have nothing to be late for so you can take your time, Detective.” 

 

He smirks, “Yes ma’am.” 

 

\---

 

Joe locks the gym door as you pull his suit jacket closer around you. L.A. nights get chilly.

 

The sleeves of his dress shirt are rolled up and the first couple buttons undone.  He throws his arm around your shoulders as he holds his gym bag with the other.  

 

“Remember how nervous you were the first time we did that in the gym?” He whispers against your temple before kissing it, a soft chuckle following.  

 

Blushing, you lace your fingers with his that are hanging over your shoulder.

 

“I was afraid we were going to get caught,” you nudge him for teasing you. 

 

He smiles, “I know. You kept covering my mouth, but yet who ended up being the loudest?” 

 

You turn red, but you laugh at the memory, “And then Arthur came in, you hid me behind you as you stuck your head out of the shower.” 

 

Joe laughs, “You know, he knew.” 

 

“What?,” you turn to look at him. 

 

“He saw your dress peeking out from under my clothes on the bench. Told me the next day.” 

 

“Oh my god!”, you bury your face in his chest briefly as you keep walking, “What he must have thought of me,” you mumble against his shirt. 

 

“You kidding? They love you. He lectured  _ me _ on how to treat a respectable girl.” 

 

Laughing, you lift your head and grasp his chin, kissing him. 

 

“You treat me perfect, Joe Teague.” 

 

He smiles and stops walking to kiss you good. You melt into him, his thumb rubbing your hand he’s holding. 

 

“Best thing I ever did was falling in love with you,” he whispers as he rests his forehead against yours. 


	25. Please Stay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The comfort of a foxhole can't beat the love of a woman

He starts sleeping in the bathtub on the nights he can’t get the war out of his head. He goes to bed with you, makes love to you, but when you fall asleep, and he’s alone with his thoughts, they’re almost always drawn back to what he’s seen and done.

 

He doesn’t want his tossing and turning to wake you, doesn’t want a replay of those couple of nights he woke up with his hands on you, dreaming you were some Jap coming after him.  That terrified look on your face but your words so sweet as you tried to calm him.

 

He grabs his pillow and walks into the bathroom. He steps over the edge of the tub and settles down into it, shoving the pillow behind his head as is his routine at this point. He sleeps sitting up just about, his arms crossed at his chest. He finds a sick humor in the fact that he finds comfort in the similarities of sleeping in a foxhole and sleeping in a tub, yet he’s sleeping there to try to escape the days involving the foxhole.

 

He knows he’s screwed up nowadays.

 

But this night is different from the rest. His chin resting against his chest, eyes closed as he tries to fall asleep, he hears the bathroom door creak open.

 

Hears feet lightly pad over, then feels the brush of a foot against his calf as you step into the tub.

 

Opening his eyes, he looks up. Your eyes on him, a blanket in your arms, you sit on his legs, “If you won’t stay with me in there, then please let me stay with you in here,” you whisper.

 

How his heart hasn’t burst yet with the amount of love he has for you, he’ll never know.

 

“Baby, you don’t want to sleep in here. It’s not the most comfortable,” he whispers back.

 

“I don’t care. I love you. Wherever you want to sleep, so do I. I can’t take being away from you any more than I’ve had to.”

 

He reaches out to cup your cheek, thumb stroking your skin.

 

“Please don’t push me away, Joe,” and when he hears your voice waver, his heart literally aches.

 

He leans forward and gathers you up in his arms, “Oh sweetheart, come here,” he softly instructs as he pulls you into a hug.

 

“I’d never push you away. Never,” and he looks at you, with you tenderly stroking his cheek as he rubs your thigh. You kiss him so soft and so sweet.

 

“Joe, I love you  _so_  much. And what you’re going through, we’re going to get through it, okay? I promise.”

 

He kisses you and then you need to grasp his jaw gently when he deepens it.

 

The kiss leaves you both slightly breathless.

 

“I don’t know where I’d be without you,” his voice soft, “And saying ‘I love you’ doesn’t ever feel like enough.”

 

He then gently takes your chin between his thumb and index finger, just to make sure you don’t turn away.

 

“But I do love you. With everything I have.”

 

Several more kisses are given before you’re snuggling into his chest, Joe spreading out the blanket to cover you. He kisses the top of your head and caresses your skin until you fall asleep.

 

He then stands up with you in his arms as he walks back to the bed with you. He’s not having his wife sleep in a bathtub because of him.

 

Gently he lays you down and pulls the sheets over you. As he walks back to his side, which is also towards the bathroom, he looks at you and remembers your words.

 

He lifts the sheets and slides in next to you, pulling you against his chest, lips brushing your cheek.

 

“Stay, Joe. Please stay,” you murmur in a sleepy daze, your eyes closed.

 

“I’m not going anywhere, baby. Not leaving you ever again.”


	26. Christmas Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The annual Detective squad's Christmas Party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little drabble I wrote awhile ago and found it in my drafts. Enjoy!

It’s Joe’s office Christmas Party, which they always hold at the local VFW hall.  All the children of the other officers come too where they meet ‘Santa’ and get presents from him that the Police Department have bought for them. 

 

As parties usually go, the women have gravitated away from the men, both groups breaking into smaller groups to mingle and chat. 

 

You’re close with a few of the other wives so you always have a good time at this.  You still remember how when you were still just Joe’s girlfriend and he brought you to the annual Christmas party, all the wives were so welcoming. They said how Joe was happier than they’d ever seen him and how they had a good feeling that you two would get married. How right they were. 

 

Billy’s wife cracks a joke at the expense of her nosy neighbor and you all laugh.  You miss that Joe hears your infectious laugh and looks over at you with a big smile.  

 

“Can’t keep your eyes off her, huh? What’s it been, 4 years? Wish I felt that way about Betty still, she’d tell you the same about me too.”  Pat quips.  The guys laugh, Joe included although he glances down a little shyly before glancing towards you again. 

 

“I’m a lucky guy, what can I say?” Joe gives a little shrug. 

 

“I’ll say.”  Jack agrees, earning him a glare and light punch to the arm courtesy of Joe, but Joe gives him a smirk before pointing his finger at him, “Watch it Connelly.” 

 

The guys laugh at the exchange as Hal walks over. He claps Joe’s shoulder, “Go get changed. We’re doing the presents in fifteen.” 

 

Joe nods, but then shakes his head with a chuckle as the guys start tossing their jokes at him.  

 

You look over at the guys laughing and see Joe breaking away from the group, heading for the door.  You smile because you know where he’s going.

 

About twenty minutes later, Hal gathers the children together. The doors open and in walks ‘Santa’, or Joe in a Santa costume complete with a pillow stuffed under his shirt.

 

He never brought the costume home because he wanted you to be surprised with everyone else. And boy were you thankful to not have had this image spoiled for you. 

 

As all the children cheered, all the adults stifled their laughter, you included.  Your mouth dropped open at the sight of him and you immediately covered your mouth as you laughed. 

 

“Ho! Ho! Ho!” Joe shouts in a deep voice; he even holds his fake belly and shakes it as he shouts.  You can’t stop laughing, neither can the other women. 

 

As Joe walks towards the group of kids, he walks to the group you’re standing with. 

 

“Ladies,” he nods in greeting with his Santa voice, he stops in front of you, “Surprised?” he asks quietly with a smile. You nod and giggle before kissing his cheek. 

 

He winks and continues to the children who proceed to go crazy over him. 

 

\--

 

Holding Joe’s Santa hat, you both enter your apartment at the end of the night. 

 

“We should put this on top of the tree,” you suggest.  Joe takes your coat off of you and hangs it up with his.  You slip off your heels and watch as Joe slips off his own shoes.  He then takes off his tie, unbuttons the first few buttons of his shirt, and rolls up his shirt sleeves. 

 

He walks over to the tree and beckons you over with his finger. You walk over and Joe leans down, placing you on his shoulder and stands back up. 

 

“Joe!” you yelp in surprise.  He laughs, but he’s got his arm locked around your legs to steady you.  He takes a couple steps closer to the tree and you lean forward putting the hat on the top of it. 

 

He lifts you up from his shoulder and puts you down where he turns you around and wraps his arms around your waist. As your arms rest on his shoulders, nails gently dragging through his short hair, he kisses you softly. 

 

He pulls away slowly and lets you go as he walks to the radio, turning it on.  He gets the station with slow Holiday music. 

 

He puts his hand out to you and you blush. 

 

“I never got to dance with you tonight.” 

 

You smile at his sweet words and put your hand in his. He spins you into him, his arm now wrapped around your waist. You kiss him then he spins you back out before wrapping his arm around your waist and taking your hand in his. 

 

As you both sway to the music, he can’t stop kissing you.  


	27. Permanent Love

Joe came home after dinner as he said he would.

 

You were folding laundry in the bedroom when you heard the front door open and close. After a minute or two, Joe walked in and right over to you.

 

Smiling, you placed his shirt down as he wrapped an arm around your waist and put a hand on your cheek pulling you into him.

 

“Hey, baby,” you greet him lovingly.

 

“Hey, sweetheart,” and he leans down, kissing you good.

 

When he pulls away, his hold lingers as he presses another kiss to your lips before letting you go.

 

“Got something to show you,” as he unknots his tie and takes it off. He starts on the buttons of his shirt.

 

He gently tugs his shirt from being tucked in and pulls it off. Now you notice the gauze pad taped on his chest.

 

You cover your mouth with a small gasp, “Joe, what happened?” You move to be in front of him and gently touch the patchwork.

 

“No, no. It’s not what you think,” he gives you a soft, amused grin. He cups your cheek, “Didn’t mean to worry you.”

 

You place your hand over his that’s on your cheek, “I’m just glad you’re not hurt,” and you both slowly pull your hands back.

 

Joe pulls his tank top off and slowly peels the gauze off.

 

You look at his chest, then at him. Tears gloss over your eyes. Your voice sounds small, even to you, as your emotions take over.

 

“Joe…” comes out almost a whisper.

 

He doesn’t say anything, he just wraps his arms around your waist and pulls you close. Now even closer, you gently run your fingertips over his new tattoo.

 

It’s not big. It’s simple, yet perfect.  And it’s right over his heart. His huge, loving heart.

 

In black ink, and in what you instantly recognized as your own handwriting, was [‘i love you’](https://www.askideas.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/I-Love-You-Tattoo-On-Collar-Bone.jpg).

 

“That’s my handwriting,” you’re in awe.

 

“It is,” he confirms then kisses your forehead.

 

You look at him, “...how?”

 

He sweetly tucks some hair behind your ear, “Got it from one of my favorite letters you sent me when I was over there.”

 

It was definitely not the answer you were expecting.

 

He wipes away a couple tears that roll down your cheeks as he continues, “It was the one where you wrote about the bad thunderstorm that was happening while you were writing it. Said how you wished I was there to hold you and protect you...”

 

You cover your mouth again briefly as the emotions flood through you, you remember writing the letter he’s talking about.

 

“...how much you missed me. How much you wanted to be able to kiss me again and hug me. And like every letter you sent, you ended it with ‘i love you’...”

 

You glance between him and the tattoo as he speaks. Still in disbelief that he got it.

 

“...that letter came at a time when morale was real low. We had lost a good number of men the day before,” you look at him. This is the most he’s opened up since coming back, “...reading it, it just gave me a kick in the ass that I absolutely needed. All I wanted to do was win the goddamn war so I could do exactly what you wrote. To hold you, protect you, hug you, kiss you,” and he kisses you softly.

 

“You have no idea how important that letter is to me. So I brought it to the shop and had the guy trace it. Because reading that ‘i love you’ did more for me than you know...and I wanted it with me always. Wanted you with me always.”

 

“Oh, Joe,” you breathe as you take his face in your hands and kiss him. You sweep your thumbs across his cheeks, “I absolutely love it. And I absolutely love you.”

 

He kisses you again, “You’re my everything, baby. You’ll never know just how much I love you.”


	28. Undercover

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wrote this one awhile ago and forgot to post it. 
> 
> Warning: Explicit smut scene

Eight weeks.

 

Eight weeks since Joe left for an undercover operation. One you know nothing about, as you guess you probably shouldn’t. But that means you have no clue where he is.  The only solace you have is the single flower, slipped into the grates of your mail slot, that is left for you every single day; the first day being after Joe left. You know they’re from him, that it’s his way of letting you know he’s okay.

 

Two months is nowhere near the two whole years you were apart when he was fighting in Guadalcanal, but it hurts just as much.

 

The apartment feels sad (or maybe it’s just you) without his presence; too quiet also.  Sleeping at night is a struggle with his side being empty. You miss being held in his arms, miss his lips brushing your skin as you start to drift asleep.  Waking up without him is simply depressing. His sleepy grin when his eyes find yours, his soft touches as he caresses your legs under the sheets.

 

You hate coming home from work to a Joe-less apartment, one that you know will remain that way.

 

The apartment feels colder.

 

Begrudgingly you allow your sister to convince you to go out with her. She lives a few towns over so you pick her up and head to a local bar in her city. She knows how sad you are without your husband and she just wants you to try and have a good time.

 

The couples you see make your heart hurt. Several men grouped at the bar turn towards you two as you enter. It’s definitely a locals place, people laughing and getting along as they do probably every night when they’re here.

 

Grabbing a table, a waitress walks over and gets your drink orders.

 

“Is this the first time you’ve gone out since he left?”  Catherine, your sister, asks in disbelief.

 

Blushing you nod as you pick at a cocktail napkin, “I just...what if something happens? I want to make sure I’m home if he or anyone else calls.”

 

“You’re driving yourself crazy sitting at home worrying constantly. At least he’s not over there, you know?”

 

In the war, she means. And she’s right you figure. He doesn’t have an ungodly amount of Japanese soldiers trying to kill him, so he’s safer than that.

 

“You’re right.”

 

Your sister reaches out for your hand and leans in with a smirk, “Now, to give that mind of yours a break, how about we to try find me a new husband?”

 

She gets the first laugh out of you since right before Joe left. And then you blush and laugh a little more at the last time you laughed -

 

It was the night before he had to leave; he had just finished shaving when you walked into the bathroom. He saw your slight frown and pulled you to him, kissing you. As the kissing became more passionate, he started walking backwards, towards the bedroom, with his lips still on you. When all of a sudden he fell backwards, pulling you with him. Immediately, you’re both laughing hard. You’re on top of him and look down at his face, that big smile of his, his muscles pulsating under you from laughter. A hand to his cheek and asked through your laughs, “Are you okay?” He nods and runs his hand through your hair, “You?” You nod, giggling, before he pulls your face down to meet his and kisses you again, the laughter slowly dying down.

 

Catherine is fresh off a divorce and, never one to be alone too long, was already looking for a new man. It’ll be a nice distraction you figure so you agree. But before you two can make any effort, the waitress brings over your drinks, placing them on the table, “Just so you ladies know, these were paid for by the gentleman at the bar.”  Intrigued, your sister immediately turns around to look at the bar and in that time the waitress places a matchbook in front of you making sure to meet your eye. Then she walks away.

 

You pick up the matchbook and open it to find a message written on the inside flap. Your heart starts racing as you see it’s Joe’s handwriting.

 

_Meet me out back_

 

“Could she have been any more vague? There’s a handful of men at the bar,” she turns back to you.

 

Quickly scanning the bar for any sign of Joe, but finding none, you decide to send your sister on a mission to give you time to sneak away.

 

“You should go up there and ask her, Cat. You never know, he could be the one.” You tease but your mind racing.

 

Catherine smiles, “You’re right! Be right back.” She stands up and walks away.

 

Shoving the matches in your purse, you stand up and walk towards the hallway that leads to the back. Leaning against the wall near the bathrooms was a man, hat pulled low.  

 

As you get closer, he looks your way and adjusts his hat so you can see his face. It’s Joe. His face adorned with bruises and cuts. Immediately, he puts his finger to his lips and guides you into the men’s bathroom, locking the door.

 

He takes his hat off and you see the extent of his injuries.  Two black eyes, one almost healed, one fresh. A stitched cut on his forehead, a bruise on his jaw, a healed split lip. And the hands holding his hat, his knuckles are all scabbed.

 

You lightly touch his cheek before wrapping your arms around his neck, hugging him tight. He hugs your body so tight, nose burying in your neck.

 

“You’ve been getting the flowers?” he says against your skin.

 

A mix of a quiet laugh and a small sob come out of you. Asking if you got the flowers would be his first question.

 

“Yes.”

 

He slowly lets you go and pulls back, you doing the same.

 

He smooths his hand over your temple and your hair before running the back of his fingers down your cheek, “How’ve you been?”

 

You don’t even realize you’re gripping the open edges of his suit jacket, almost afraid to let him go.

 

“Miserable,” you confess, “Even more after seeing you like this,” you gently touch a couple of his injuries, “Joe, baby, what are you involved in?”

 

“I’m okay, sweetheart. I promise.”

 

You shake your head slightly in frustration, tears welling up in your eyes.

 

He knows you’re upset and he drops his hat to grasp your face, pressing his forehead to yours, “I miss you, baby. Every second. I can’t even believe that you walked in here tonight.”

 

Keeping your eyes closed proves useless at trying to stop tears from falling as you feel a few slip out anyway. His thumbs quickly move, sweeping them off your cheeks; then you feel the slight scab of his split lip as he presses a kiss between your eyes.

 

When his lips move away, you open your eyes finding his.

 

“Are you fighting every night?”

 

He just looks into your eyes for a few seconds before answering, “Yeah.”

 

He moves his hands to your arms before sliding them down, then gripping your hips, “It’s illegal boxing matches. Source of income for the mob.”

 

You nod, “So that’s why they wanted you to do this.” Joe’s been boxing since before you knew him. Of course his Sergeant would want him on this.

 

You gently grasp his face and lightly kiss the corner of his top lip, “What are you doing here?”

 

His lips quirk into a soft smile, “Here with some of the other boxers. Name’s Tony Paletta to them.”

 

As he speaks you press another kiss to his bottom lip on the other side.

 

He slides his hands up your back, pulling you even closer. You kiss him softly, careful of his healing lip.  He ignores the slight sting and deepens the kiss.

 

You wrap your arms around his neck and gently scratch the back of his head. You pull away just enough to break the kiss, “Are you almost done with all of this? When do you come home?”

 

“I don’t know.”

 

A quick few knocks on the door make you both look over.

 

“It’s occupied!” Joe shouts.

 

There’s no more knocking after that.

 

“We better go,” Joe places a hand on your jaw and caresses your chin with his thumb.

 

He leans in and kisses you good. When you both pull away, both of you breathless, you wipe the lipstick from his lips. He smiles as he wipes the smudged lipstick from around yours.

 

He then runs his thumb under your lip, “I love you.”

 

“I love you too.”

 

He kisses your cupid’s bow, then your forehead. Wrapping you in his arms, he hugs you tight.

 

He lets you go and walks to the door, putting his ear to it. Hearing nothing, he opens it a crack and sees the hallway is clear so he waves you to walk out first.

 

You walk over, but you push the door closed again. You pull him in by his jacket and kiss him one more time. He sticks his foot by the door to keep it from being pushed open and happily returns your kiss.

 

“Be careful.”

 

He smiles and cups your cheek, “I will.”

 

You kiss his cheek, then walk out first.  You want so bad to just wait for him and to go home with him. It takes everything in you to walk away and back to your sister.

 

Except your sister wasn’t at the table. A quick look at the bar and you spot her chatting with a guy at the bar.

 

As Joe walks past you a minute later, you glance at the back of his head as he makes his way back to his new ‘friends’.  Legs crossed under the table, you lightly shake your foot that’s in the air. Thoughts racing through your mind.

 

Joe glances your way and sees the way you’re staring into your drink. He knows you’re thinking the same thing he is.

 

How the hell can you walk away when you’re so close to each other?

 

A few minutes later Catherine walks back to the table, ripping you from your thoughts. You don’t even notice Joe walk by again.

 

As she goes on and on about the man at the bar, about how he wasn’t the one who bought the drinks but he ended up being really great, you listen with a forced smile. Your thoughts never straying from Joe and his face and your quick encounter.

 

It’s so hard not to just stare at him the rest of the night, to pretend like he’s simply a stranger. But you do, for his sake.

 

When you get up to finally leave, you glance his way one more time. His eyes already on you. A short, tight nod and his eyes move back to the group of men he’s with.

 

When you approach your car, tucked into the window is a folded piece of paper.

 

Joe.

 

Quickly you grab it and shove it in your pocket before your sister or anyone else sees.  The drive to her house feels like forever as the note burns a hole in your pocket. You barely remember saying thank you for the fun night before she’s kissing your cheek and walking inside.

 

Scrambling you pull the note out and unfold it.

 

_Ripple Ave. McGovern’s. 32._

 

You glance at your sister’s house, then start the engine. When you drive over to Ripple Ave., you see the neon sign that says ‘McGovern’s Motel’.

 

Motel. He’s here. This is where he’s been.

 

Joe removes his tie as soon as he walks back into his motel room. Tosses his hat and jacket on the table then takes his shoes off. Runs a hand over his face. Maybe you won’t come.

 

But the knock on his door proves otherwise.

 

He opens the door and there you are. Your lipstick still slightly smudged from when he kissed you earlier, the slight bite of your bottom lip from nerves, and that look in your eyes that mirrors his own.

 

As soon as he pulls you inside and shuts the door, he’s got you pushed up against the wall. One hand gently grasping the back of your neck as you hurriedly unbutton his shirt.

 

Mumbling between kisses, “I shouldn’t have….too risky…” but his actions don’t seize.

 

“Should I go?” You push his chest, getting him to stop and look at you.

 

Both of you breathless, his hand brushing through your hair. His lips start leaving light kisses along your jaw, “I don’t want you to.”

 

You slide his shirt over his shoulders, he moves his arms to rid his body of it completely, letting it fall to the floor.

 

Again, you gently push him away. With his hand against the wall next to your head, he keeps his other hand on your cheek.

 

Never breaking from his stare, you unzip your dress. You pull each arm out before it’s falling to the ground.  

 

“Then I’ll stay.”

 

His eyes roam over your body, standing there in your bra and panties and thigh-high stockings.  

 

He smiles before pushing his body against yours again, his lips on yours again.

 

Both hands grasping your face, he moves his kisses to your chin and along your throat. You lean your head back as your hands find his belt, undoing it.  He pulls away to pull off his tank top and to unzip his pants, pushing them off.

 

As he does that, you unclasp your bra and drop it to the floor.  

 

When he looks at you again, your bare chest looking back at him, he slows his movements. Places his big, warm hands around your waist. He slowly slides them up, moving them towards your sternum, until your breasts are sitting on the spaces between his thumbs and forefingers.

 

They move up a bit as he moves his thumbs up to brush over your nipples.  Then his mouth is moving along the meaty flesh of them, teeth barely scraping. You take a quiet inhale and arch your back slightly into him.

 

Then his hands are back on your face and he’s whispering “You’re so gorgeous” before he’s kissing you passionately.  You pull away and he moves his kisses to your neck but your eyes stay pinned to his body, his body riddled with giant bruises.

 

His kisses stop when he feels your hands glide over his battered ribs and hears the tiny gasp leave your sweet mouth.  He brushes his nose along your skin until his lips are at your temple.

 

“Baby,” you whisper in sadness.

 

His lips murmur against your skin, “I’ve had worse.”

 

He straightens up a bit as you keep moving your hands over his torso. You nuzzle his jaw, “Are any broken?”

 

His arm moves around your waist, his other hand to grasp your chin gently as he looks down at you, “No. They know how hard to hit short of breaking one.”

 

You lean up and kiss him before pulling away to kiss his chest. He rubs your back softly as you bend to place kisses along his bruised rib cage. When you kneel down in front of him, kissing his lower abdomen, his hand sweeps through your hair.

 

You grab the waistband of his boxers and pull them down. He leans forward to grip the wall when he feels your mouth on him. A low groan of “Ah, fuck,” falling from his lips.

 

He watches your head bob and he leans his head back at the pleasure building up in him.  But this wasn’t about him. This was about you. Hearing you confess how miserable you’ve been with him gone pushed him to leave you that note. He wanted to make you feel good.

 

He looks down at you again and runs a hand quickly through your hair. At one of the points you take your lips off him completely, he quickly grasps your face. He leans down as he guides you up off the floor, his lips meeting yours halfway, never pulling away as you stand up completely.

 

Your brows slightly knitted in confusion, “Was it that bad?”

 

He gives one quick almost chuckle as his mouth moves into a lopsided grin, “Bad? Hell, honey, you know what you do to me when you’ve got me like that,” kissing you, “You kill me with these,” his thumb brushing over your lips, “No, I just...this isn’t about me.”

 

He leans down, wrapping an arm around your butt, the other around your back. Walking the short distance to the bed, he lays you down, hovering over you.

 

“This is about you.”

 

He kisses your lips before trailing more down your chest and stomach.  You sit up on your elbows as you watch him place open mouth kisses on your hips.  You bend your knee when he grabs the top of your stocking. His kisses trail behind as he rolls it off your leg. He does the same thing to your other leg.

 

You lay back down with a lazy smile when he grabs your panties. Lifting your hips, he pulls them off last. Your breath hitches when you feel him grip the back of your thighs, spreading them open, followed by his mouth moving between them.

 

Trying to keep as quiet as possible for fear of how thin the walls are and whether his fellow boxers live here too, you bite your lip as you push your head back into the mattress. One hand grips the sheets next to you, the other just barely touching his hair.

 

As his tongue keeps moving, it’s harder to keep quiet.

 

“Oh my god” you whine.  Just as he knows he has you close, he stops. He licks his lips before crawling back up to you.

 

Sexually frustrated you look at him, “Joe, I swear…”

 

He smirks, “You can’t be too loud. The guys are all around here.”

 

“Then don’t do anything to make me loud,” you wrap your arms around his neck and wrap your left leg around his right one to pull him into you, needing him to finish what he’s started.

 

He runs his hand along your inner thigh before pushing into you, “Now what kind of husband would I be if I didn’t make you scream?” He teases as he moves inside of you.

 

You were already on edge when he entered you, so trying to stifle your moans was going to be hard.  

 

Breathless, “Oh god”

 

Joe kisses your throat exposed to him from you leaning your head back. He nips gently and you look at him. Kissing him hard, you still end up moaning against his lips which makes him pump a little deeper.

 

He moves to his knees just about, his thighs tucked into the bend of your knees. Essentially making it difficult for you to close them even if you wanted to.

 

He leans on his forearm and before you can register him moving, your moans get higher when you feel his thumb on your clit.

 

His thumb doesn’t stop moving as he thrusts. You’ve been gripping his shoulders, but once his hand moves below you let go. Blindly, you reach for the hand of the forearm he’s leaning on and pull it over your mouth.

 

You moan against his hand, your body quivering below his.

 

“Fuck, you’re so goddamn perfect,” Joe grunts as he watches you succumb to the feeling of it all.

 

He can’t help but move his hand from your mouth to hear your frequent gasps and you breathing his name.

 

You quickly move his hand back over your mouth as your body stiffens. Him thumbing your clit and his deep thrusting finally culminating into an intense orgasm that has you crying out against his palm.

 

He follows behind you closely, his grunts doing things to your body as you ride out the final waves of pleasure.

 

He slowly moves his hand from your mouth, his fingers brushing your lips.

 

Your chest heaving as you run a hand through your hair. His mouth moving against your collarbone before he comes into view and kisses you passionately.

 

He lays on top of you, you wrapping your legs around his. His thumb is pressed against the corner of your mouth as his lips find yours in a passionate kiss.

 

You rub your hands over his shoulders as you both come down from your highs.

 

As he gains his breath back, he rolls onto his back. You sit up and turn to face him. You put your hand on the other side of him to lean on it as you glide your hand over his ribs, “You okay?”

 

“A little sore, but worth it,” he runs his hand up your thigh.  You smirk and lean down kissing his torso.

 

You then lay on your stomach next to him, head propped up on your hand. He smiles and runs his fingers through your hair before resting his hand on your butt.

 

You kiss his shoulder and lean over to kiss him. You give a yelp of surprise when Joe quickly flips over, you now under him as he caresses your face.

 

You smile and trace a finger along his cheekbone, “Joe, you’re an amazing husband. Don’t think you aren’t just because I miss you.”

 

“How could you…” he starts to ask with a soft smile.

 

You lean up to kiss him, “Because I know you. And these eyes of yours tell me everything.”

 

“‘I love you’ doesn’t ever feel like enough,” he whispers as he kisses the corner of your mouth.

 

“I know what you mean.”

 

\---

 

You probably should have left right after that. You initially planned to just stay a short time and leave, but then you saw him again and there was no time restraint and you got lost in him.

 

There’s a loud knocking on the door that wakes you both up. You both forget where you are for a second as being with each other momentarily makes you feel like you’re at home.

 

“Tony! You awake?” A man shouts.

 

Instantly, you’re both sitting up. Joe grabs the back of your head and presses his forehead to yours, “Go in the bathroom and shut the door.”

 

“Tony, come on man! Wake up!”

 

You nod as he kisses you quick. He stands up and grabs his shirt, tossing it to you. You stand up and put it on as you walk into the bathroom and shut the door as instructed.

 

Joe quickly grabs your clothes from the floor and chucks them under the bed. He pulls his pants on and opens the door yawning for show.

 

“What the hell? Can’t a guy sleep?” Joe says as two men, who are obviously comfortable around him, push past to enter his room.

 

George takes a seat on the edge of the bed, “You can sleep when you’re dead, man.”

 

The other man, Ray, lights a cigar up, “We got info on tonight’s matches already.”

 

“Couldn’t wait until I showed my face? Had some coffee?”

 

George looks at Ray, then back at Joe and laughs, “Shit, man. I gotta tell ya, dealing with you in the mornings is quite a pleasure,” he quips.

 

You pace in the bathroom, hearing the whole conversation taking place.

 

“So what’s the dealings tonight?”

 

Ray slowly paces the room, Joe glancing at him every few seconds. His heart pounding as he gets closer to the bathroom.

 

George lays back on the bed, hands behind his head, “Three matches. You gotta throw two. One against me, one against Lenny.”

 

Joe rubs his eyes, “Yeah, alright.”

 

George sits up, rubs his knees, “Yeah? alright? What, no angry tirades about only winning one? You feelin’ okay?” He jokes.

 

Ray gets to the bathroom door and opens it, startling you.

 

“Hey!” Joe angrily shouts.

 

Ray laughs, “Found out why he’s in a mood!” He grabs your arm and pulls you into view.

 

Joe rips Ray’s hold from you and stands protectively in front of you.

 

George whistles as he stands up, “Tony, Tony, Tony. You think you’d be in a good mood after doing this doll.”

 

Your fingertips lightly graze Joe’s lower back as you stay behind him.

 

“Watch your mouth,” he warns. With Joe’s attention on George, Ray reaches out and pinches your thigh.

 

You jump, “Don’t touch me!”

 

Joe’s on him in a second. He’s got Ray’s arm twisted behind his back and the other on the back of his neck, slamming him against the wall, the cigar falling out of his mouth.

 

George puts his hands up, “Woah, Tony. Relax, we’re only kiddin’ with ya.”

 

Joe shoves Ray into George, “Real fucking funny.”

 

“Fuck Tony! She’s just a pair of tits man, calm down,” Ray rubs his head.

 

With his hands balling into fists, he walks towards them, “Say something else, Ray. Say one more goddamn thing.”

 

George shoves Ray forward towards the door, “We’ll see you later, man, geez.”

 

When they both finally leave, Joe punches the back of the door.

 

You walk over and pull his arm gently turning him towards you. His hand smoothes over your hair, “You okay?”

 

“Yeah,” you grasp his face and kiss him, “I’m okay.”

 

He pulls you into a hug, “You leave after me, alright? I’ll make sure they’re not around. Go straight home.”

 

He feels you nod against his shoulder as you tenderly pet the back of his head.

 

\---

 

It’s another four weeks after that until you see him again.

 

Joe comes home before the sun rises.  He places his bag by the closet and hangs up his hat and jacket. When he walks into the bedroom he sees you asleep, on your side. He’s so sore but he doesn’t hesitate to climb into bed with you.

 

His arms wrap around you and pull you against his chest. He smiles as he kisses your skin and you quietly hum his name in your sleep.

 

You turn over and your hand falls above his heart. The feeling of his heartbeat against your palm somehow wakes you up a bit.  His fingers slowly glide up and down your back.

 

You barely open your eyes, so exhausted and barely awake, “Tell me you’re home for good.”

 

He brings his arm up to brush the hair from your face, “I’m home for good.”

 

You snuggle closer to him and he picks your hand up to kiss it.

 

“I’m so tired,” you whine in a whisper.

 

He smirks, “I know. Go to sleep, baby. I’ll still be here when you wake up.”

 

“Promise?”

 

“I promise.”


End file.
